Nightwalk [Book Review]

Genre - Horror
Year Published - 2015
Length - 323 (print) pages
Written by D. Nathan Hilliard

Tagline:
"Don't you hate it when your neighborhood slides into Hell"

Rating: 5+ Skulls

Plot Summary:

Welcome to Coventry Woods. . .

. . .a tranquil, middle class neighborhood where trees turn the streets into shady tunnels, soccer moms jog on secluded paths, and backyard barbeques are weekend staples. It's a quiet, urban example of the American dream. Here businessmen are neighbors with DJs, young doctors buy their first houses, and author Mark Garret has been settling in with his lovely new wife and stepdaughter.

But tonight Coventry Woods is going to come with something Mark never bargained on.

The pits of Hell have yawned wide and poured their contents into the midnight streets and homes. Everything has gone insane. Shots and screams ring out in the night, while death stalks the darkness in forms this earth has never before seen. Even worse, the only escape is by foot.

Now Mark, along with his daughter and his back-fence neighbor, must flee the neighborhood while attempting to help the people they meet. And it won't be easy. They will be walking a gauntlet of unearthly predators as they strive for a goal they aren't sure still exists...

...the outside world.

Review:
If you are not reading D. Nathan Hilliard, this needs to change immediately!

Hilliard does not disappoint!!
(as you can see by his consistent 5+ ratings - see past reviews for 'Dead Stop' and 'Spiderstalk' - the + stands for exceptional work, which I do not give out lightly)
I cannot give Hilliard enough accolades!
He is a true Master of Horror!
More than that, he is a Master of Terror!

You cannot ask for more from an author than to create a story that seems so real that you feel that you are living it, along with the characters, and that is exactly what Hilliard does.

Just in time for Halloween, Hilliard has crafted a tale that may seem far-fetched, yet is seemingly plausible and truly horrific! The story takes place over the span of a few hours and is completely riveting. This is a story that would make H. P. Lovecraft proud!

A true nightmare!
Best Horror Novel of the Year - no doubt!

Jason

The Last Bus [Novella Review]

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Year Published - 2015
Length - 105 (print) pages
Written by Paul M. Feeney

Rating: 4 Skulls

Plot Summary:
We've all been there - the dreaded early morning commute.
The surly driver; the obnoxious teenagers; the guy who just has to invade your personal space; the awkwardness as everyone avoids any kind of social interaction with anyone else; the frustrations of snarled-up traffic and tail-backs.

For most of us, a trip on public transport is about as bad as it gets.

For these passengers, it's about to get a lot worse.

Jonathon, Justine, and Hanna don't know each other, but they're about to be thrown together as a simple journey to work turns into a race for survival.
Mysterious objects begin to fall from the sky, the early onset of an alien invasion.

Mutated monsters, trigger-happy soldiers, and personality clashes abound on. . .

The Last Bus

Review:
Clocking in at just over 100 pages, this super-quick read is a must for any fan of Sci-Fi "B" movies.

Feeney is a master at fast character development. You are quickly attached to each of his characters, and you immediately know who you like and who you dislike.

My biggest disappointment with this book is its size - I wanted so much more!!

Aside from the story itself, the best thing about this book is that it has made me a Feeney fan! I am now eagerly awaiting his first full-length novel, which can't come soon enough!

The only way to currently purchase this book is through http://www.crowdedquarantine.co.uk/store/p29/The_Last_Bus_by_Paul_M._Feeney_%28Signed%2FNumber_Limited_Edition%29.html
I highly recommend that you do so, as it is a signed, limited-edition (only 250 copies!), nicely-bound book.

Jason

Sailor's Cove: A Tale from Prosperity Glades [Book Review]

Genre: Horror
Year Published: 2015
Length: 122 (digital) pages
Written by Franklin E. Wales

Rating: 5+ Skulls

Plot Summary:
Like many small towns, Prosperity Glades keeps its dark secrets hidden away from the prying eyes of outsiders.
The Sailor’s Cove Private Resort is one such secret.
Built in the nineteen fifties, at great expense, its doors never opened to the public.
Over the years, memories of its existence faded away, just as the iron fence surrounding the property disappeared under decades of overgrown vines and greenery.
In fear for his life, Garrick Houston was looking for a safe haven, off the radar, and Prosperity Glades seemed an ideal choice.
It might have been, had he not learned the truth about Sailor’s Cove.

Review:
When I woke up, yesterday morning, I had an e-mail waiting from Mr. Wales - "something new for my e-reader..."

Now, I am already in the middle of another book, however last night, while my wife was watching the Emmy's, out of curiosity, I figured that I would just check out Mr. Wales' latest tale, see what it was about - this was a huge mistake (not really!) as I was immediately sucked into  Wales' "Tale from Prosperity Glades".

I had an idea from Wales' epigraph (I always love those!) of what this story was going to be about, and I was not disappointed!

A little backstory:
(which you will learn about in the Introduction to this book)
It turns out that Prosperity Glades is a small, Floridian town created by another author by the name of Jeffrey Kosh (a name that I have heard, but never read) Mr. Wales has set his tale within Kosh's fictional town, and I believe that the town is better for it. (I am sure that those who have read Kosh's stories, set in this town, will be thrilled by Wales' addition to it.)

Just remember that I warned you - make sure that you have some extra time on your hands before you read this one.
I devoured it in one sitting, albeit late into the night... (I can't even remember the last time that I did that)
It is time well spent!

Jason

Blade of the Destroyer [Book Review]

Genre - Fantasy
Year Published - 2015
Length - 293 pages
Written by Andy Peloquin

Rating: 5 Skulls

Plot Summary:
The Hunter of Voramis is the perfect assassin:

Ruthless. Unrelenting. Immortal.

Yet he is haunted by lost memories, bonded to a cursed dagger that feeds him power yet denies him peace of mind. Within him rages an unquenchable need for blood and death.

When he accepts a contract to avenge the stolen innocence of a girl, the Hunter becomes the prey. The death of a seemingly random target sends him hurtling toward destruction, yet could his path also lead to the truth of his buried past?

Review:
First, let's start with the basics:

I love the title of this book!
I love the cover art of this book!
I love the concept of this book!

Fortunately, this book lives up to all of the above hype!

In this day and age of digital books, it is somewhat easier/cheaper to take a chance with an unknown author. While I have many, many digital copies of books, I still prefer to read a physical book. I took a chance and paid more for a physical copy of this book, and that chance paid off, ten-fold! (This book now holds an esteemed place on the limited shelf space in my library.)

Peloquin immediately grabs you and thrusts you smack dab into the middle of the world and characters that he has created, and what a well fleshed out world it is! Every word that Peloquin writes has a purpose in the story that he has crafted. There is a depth to his characters, that pays off, as the main character is not a nice guy, (he is an assassin after all) yet once his humanity starts to peek through, you begin to understand the complexity of the character.
(I can best equate this to one of my all-time favorite television shows - 'Sons of Anarchy' - this is a show about an outlaw biker gang/club. These are not nice people, yet through the writing & characterization of the show, you begin to understand their humanity, and actually begin to start caring for the characters. Peloquin does the exact same thing with his character of the Hunter...)

I am extremely happy to say that this is Book 1 of a series ('The Last Bucelarii').
I cannot wait to jump back into the world of Einan and see where Peloquin takes us next!

Jason

Guns [An Essay]

I am not sure how I missed this one, back in 2013, though I am glad that I stumbled across it now...

A great essay on gun-control!

Whether you agree with King (I agree on the majority) or not, this is definitely a good read!
(available for just a buck on the Kindle app)

Jason

Eve [Book Review]

Genre - Christian Fiction
Year Published - 2015 [*9/15/15]
Length - 3,488 digital (Kindle App) pages (based on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3)
Written by Wm. Paul Young

Tagline:
'The Shack' shattered our limited perceptions about God.
'Eve' will destroy  harmful misconceptions about ourselves.

Rating: 3 Skulls

Plot Summary:
When a shipping container washes ashore on an island between our world and the next, John the Collector finds a young woman inside - broken, frozen, and barely alive.
With the aid of Healers and Scholars, John oversees her recovery and soon discovers her genetic code connects her to every known human race.
She is a girl of prophecy and no one can guess what her survival may mean.

No one but Eve, Mother of the Living, who calls her "daughter", and invites her to witness the truth about her story - indeed, the truth about us all.

Review:
This book is completely different from Young's prior works ('The Shack' & 'Cross Roads') - this one has a slight sci-fi feel to it, and to be completely honest, it was just an okay read. For me, it did not live up to the expectations that the above tagline set.

The book is still an interesting read, just not what I was expecting. I get what Young is attempting to convey, it just seemed a strange way to do it. The last chapter helped raise the book slightly above average. I would have liked for there to have been more, like that, afterwards.

If you are a fan of Young, then by all means, give this book a shot - it may just be me...

Jason