Thursday, April 28, 2016

Hatched (Invisible Spiders: Book 1) [Book Review]

'Hatched' (Invisible Spiders: Book 1) is still currently free, on Kindle, through the end of the month. Is it worth the download? Read on to find out. . .

Genre - Horror
Year Published - 2013
Length - 328 (digital) pages
Written by Jason R. Davis​

Tagline: There is not a tagline for this book, but if there were, I would give it this one:
"If you see them, it's already too late."

Rating: 3 Skulls

Plot Summary:
It is the morning hours in the small town of Hammond, and as the town wakes up it finds that there is something spreading. Something that is not seen until it is too late because by then you are already infected. At that point, they are already... Hatched.

Review:
First of all, I just have to say that the concept of this book is brilliant! A completely new, refreshing take on the zombie genre.

So why only 3 Skulls, you ask?

This book started out as a strong 5 Skulls, however as different characters/storylines began to intertwine themselves, I repeatedly found myself wanting to get back to the "spiders" storyline. I understand that this is Book One of a proposed trilogy/series(?), which requires certain set-up, I just felt that some of the important information was left out/forgotten(?) I am hoping that the 2nd book gets back to ground zero, so to speak. Also, there are more than enough typos to warrant a mention here, which also distracts from the reality of the story.

Enough of the negative aspects (nothing that better editing and slightly fewer side-stories won't fix).

On to the positive.
Davis was super-smart to make the spiders in the story of the tiny, small variety (the size that can quickly scurry across your skin, before they burrow underneath...) Let's just say that if you are not already scared of spiders, reading this will make you paranoid/terrified of them!
[true story: while reading this book, I took several opportunities to enjoy the beautiful spring weather, and read the majority of it outside. At one point, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and, I promise, there was a little black spider scurrying across the porch. Needless to say, I held my breath for a moment!]

So, to answer the above question, yes, this book is worth the download (typos aside). Davis does not hold back on the horror aspects, and there is more than enough to keep you awake at night. I am looking forward to reading the next book.

Jason

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Double-Feature Short Stories: 'The Rest Area' & 'Spiders in from the Garden'

Today we have a double-feature from author Jason R. Davis​ who I just recently came across on Google+.

Davis has put two of his short stories up for Free, on Amazon, and they are both worth your time.

I first read 'The Rest Area' which is about a trucker, named Randy, who pulls into a seemingly innocent yet small Rest Stop. Due to the fact that he really "has to go", he ignores the signs (eerily quiet, strange graffiti on the building, etc) that something just may be amiss. . .
Aside from the very end (epilogue), which I felt took me out of the reality of the story, I enjoyed this one.

Next - 'Spiders in from the Garden' - now, this one states "an Invisible Spiders Short Story".
'The Rest Area' was my first introduction to Davis, so I have not read any of his other books. This did not stop me however, as I figured this would be a stand-alone story (which it is).
I do not want to tell you anything about this story, so as not to give anything away. I will say that
I really dug this one, and I will be purchasing 'Hatched' the first book in Davis' 'Invisible Spider' series.

Both of the above stories are quick reads (under 15 minutes) and are, for me, a nice introduction into Davis' work.

Jason

Friday, April 8, 2016

The Nightingale

One of the advantages of having a wife who reads different genres than I do is that I will get to read something that I otherwise may not have even given a second look to. Such is the case with this one.

This book is a riveting page-turner, and exceptionally well written! You will be hooked from the very first chapter!

I highly recommend this one, no matter which genre you generally prefer. 

Jason