Independent Authors/Directors/Producers...

In the new year, I am looking to streamline my blog reviews with a focus more on independent books & films, so if you would like an honest review of your work, please feel free to e-mail me at thebonebreaker@gmail.com, and I will promptly get back to you.


In the meantime, for you "readers" out there, here is a list of forthcoming reviews:

Books:
Crogian - by John Leahy
Homecoming - by Franklin E. Wales
Zom Alive: 2110 - by Billie Sue Mosiman
Dead Stop - by D. Nathan Hilliard
A Satan Carol - by Alan Kessler
Merciless - by Brandon Ford

Films:
Lucifer's Unholy Desire - directed by Cody Knotts
Breeding Farm - directed by Cody Knotts
Jenny Ringo and the Monkey's Paw - directed by Chris Regan
My Name is 'A' - directed by Shane Ryan


If any of the above catches your interest, check back, in the near future, to read my thoughts...

Jason

After Twilight: Walking with the Dead [Book Review]

Genre - Horror
Year Published - 2008 (Published by Permuted Press)
Length - 267 pages
Written by Travis Adkins
Rating: 5 Skulls

Plot Summary:
     At the start of the apocalypse, a small resort town on the coast of Rhode Island fortified itself to withstand the millions of flesh-eating zombies conquering the world.
With its high walls and self-contained power plant, Eastpointe was a safe haven for the lucky few who managed to arrive.
     Trained specifically to outmaneuver the undead, Black Berets performed scavenging missions in outlying towns in order to stock Eastpointe with materials vital for long-term survival. But the town leaders took the Black Berets for granted, on a whim sending them out into the cannibalistic wilderness. Most did not survive.
     Now the most cunning, most brutal, most efficient Black Beret will return to Eastpointe after narrowly surviving the doomed mission and unleash his anger upon the town in one bloody night of retribution.

After twilight, when the morning comes and the sun rises, will anyone be left alive?

Review:
This book is the sequel to Twilight of the Dead. It is not 100% necessary to read the first book (though I would recommend it) as Adkins does a superb job of telling you all you need to know in the first 10 pages.
Within the Prologue is a newspaper article titled 'The Dead Walk'. The article explains that the deceased are becoming re-animated, with little to no cognizance. Survivors of attacks fall ill within a matter of hours, then they die, and they too are re-animated.
The only way to kill the re-animated is to destroy the brain or separate it from the body...

About 5 years have passed since the zombie outbreak took place.
This entire book takes place in one single day (from the dawn to the twilight of July 4th)
Adkins' writing never slacks, and he keeps up a steady pace, which makes for a fast read.
He devotes entire portions of the book on each of the main characters and their backgrounds, giving them just enough depth where you will actually care about what happens to them.
Adkins' also includes maps, newspaper articles, military documents, files, diaries, etc, which really helps focus on the "reality" of the story.
He also brings to vivid life the undead - or "skin-eaters" as they are called in the book.

Adkins has great character development skills (both past & present) and he is very descriptive in his writing. He is one of those writers where you feel as if you are really there, in the story.
He is also great with the emotions, relationships, and struggles of the characters that he has created.

If you are a fan of zombies, then this is a must-read!

Jason

2012: Year in Review

I hope that you had a very Merry Christmas...!


My Top 10 Favorite Novels that I read this year:
(in alphabetical order - *denotes that the book was published in 2012)

1. 'Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter' by Brian P. Easton
2. *'Dark Revelations' by Anthony Zuicker & Duane Swierczynski
3. *'Deadheads: Evolution' by Franklin E. Wales
4. *'The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus' by Terry Goodkind
5. 'Horns' by Joe Hill
6. 'Malachi's Moon' by Billie Sue Mosiman
7. 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin
8. *'Pavlov's Dogs' by D. L. Snell & Thom Brannan
9. 'A Princess of Mars' by Edgar Rice Burroughs
10. *'The Roswell Conspiracy' by Boyd Morrison

So, which novel receives the title of Best Novel of 2012?
My favorite read of the year goes to #4 - The First Confessor by Terry Goodkind


My Top 10 Favorite Films Released in 2012:
(in alphabetical order)

1. The Avengers
2. Breathless
3. The Cabin in the Woods
4. The Dark Knight Rises
5. The Grey
6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
7. John Carter
8. Looper
9. Prometheus
10. The Raid: Redemption

Best Film of 2012 goes to #10 on the list - The Raid: Redemption


My Top 10 Apps that I Downloaded this year:
(in alphabetical order)

1. Angry Birds: Star Wars
2. Crazy Hedgy
3. The Daily
4. Gesundheit
5. Judge Dredd vs Zombies
6. Lego Harry Potter
7. Pizza vs Skeletons
8. Smart Wi-Fi Toggler
9. Swordigo
10. Tread of the Dead

Best App of the Year goes to #3 - The Daily
(this is available on iOS only - it's a "daily" news app that just gives you quick snippets of what you are interested in - the app that I missed the most, when I switched to Android)
Best Game of the Year goes to #9 - Swordigo - great game! (unfortunately, it too is only available on iOS)


Well, there you have it, another year, come and gone...

Be sure to tune back in during 2013!
Now that I once again have regular internet access, I plan on focusing my reviews more on the independent films/books, so if you are an independent film director/producer/author, and would like an honest review/critique of your work, shoot me an e-mail at thebonebreaker@gmail.com - I'll be looking forward to checking out your work!

Jason

December 2012 "Wrap-Up"

Well, here we are, the last month of the year!

Best Book of the Month:

I only read one book this month, which was 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin, and since I wouldn't be able to give the book justice, I'll just re-quote what Stephen King had to say about the book:

"Every so often a novel-reader's novel comes along: an enthralling, entertaining story wedded to simple, supple prose, both informed by tremendous imagination...

Read fifteen pages and you will find yourself captivated; read thirty and you will find yourself taken prisoner and reading late into the night...

Read this book and the ordinary world disappears." 

- Stephen King (from the back of the book)

I have to agree with the above.

Best Movie of the Month:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

(I've seen mixed reviews on this one... I for one, loved it! See it in IMAX 3D, if you can)

Runner-Up:

The Hole 

(directed by Joe Dante - fantastic!)

Other movies that I watched this month:

(in the order that I viewed them)

Lawless

The Apparition (the only worthwhile thing about this movie is Ashley Greene)

Removal (good movie!)

Accepted

Strippers vs Werewolves

Dragon Wasps

Rock of Ages

Bikini Bloodbath

The Dog Who Saved Christmas

The Grace Card

12 Disasters of Christmas

Christmas with Holly

Flight of Fury

The Watch

Chernobyl Diaries

The Day

Dead Season

Bloodlust Zombies

The Good Doctor

Stolen

Premium Rush

Best App of the Month:

Having had my Samsung Galaxy Note II for just over a month now, I would say that the most useful app that I've discovered thus far is 'Smart Wi-Fi Toggler' - this app automatically senses when I leave a wi-fi zone, shutting my wi-fi off for me, and automatically turns wi-fi back on whenever I enter an approved wi-fi zone.

The Note II already has an exceptional battery life - this helps make it even more so!

Well, that wraps-up the year, month-by-month.

Tune in, around this time next week, for my "Year-in-Review", summing everything up in one short, simple post.

I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas!

Jason