Offworld, reviewed

The first four people on Mars end up being the last four people on earth in Robin Parrish’s Offworld. On the way home from their successful mission to Mars, the crew of the Ares mission mysteriously lose contact with Earth two months out from their arrival. Barely surviving a harrowing re-entry, they are shocked to discover….nothing. Not one living thing, human or animal, at the entire Kennedy Space Center complex. Security footage shows that one second everyone was there…and the next they were gone.

What follows is a harrowing journey across country towards Houston, Texas, where satellite imagery shows an inexplicably bright light emanating from, something that must be connected to the disappearance of the whole world. And as the obstacles between them and their destination grow more treacherous, they soon realize they’re not as alone as they thought…

I liked this book. It’s an imaginative spin on the post-apocalypse genre, and it’s very quick paced and action-packed. It will also keep you guessing until the very end. The book has religious undertones but they are done with expert subtlety, it feels very organic to the story and never gets preachy. In fact there’s a line I particularly liked in the book that goes something along the lines of “Everywhere I look in the world I see poetry. And the thing about poetry…it doesn’t write itself.”

My one complaint is that that the four main astronaut characters seem flat. Can't put my finger on exactly why, they just seemed kinda bland. The book was a fun enough read I didn’t really care, but for some reason I just found them hard to get invested in.

Offworld isn’t a YA book but it’s an easy enough read that high schoolers should have no trouble with it. It’s available for Kindle and in paperback. 

Katya's World, reviewed

Tonight I review my new favorite YA book:

 

Fifteen year old Katya Kuriakova is a resident of Russalka, a water covered planet colonized several centuries into the future exclusively by people from central Russia. Since it’s covered by oceans ,the inhabitants live entirely in underwater settlements and move about by submarine. Russalka is one of several planets colonized by Earth. The Terrans (people from Earth) and the Russalkans had a falling out that led to a short, brutal shooting war that ended abruptly when the Terrans suddenly and mysteriously disengaged and left.

Katya is a fledgling navigator on her uncle Lukyan’s transport sub when they are commandeered to transport a suspected pirate, Haviland Kane, to prison. But there is much more to Kane than meets the eye, and they will all have to form an uneasy alliance to survive the dangers of the deep. Because in the uncharted depths of Russalka, here be monsters. Possibly man-made….possibly not…

I loved this book. Nevermind it’s a whole planet populated by Russian submariners, the action is non-stop, the world-building well-done, and characters decently fleshed out. Kayta has no love interest, in fact she’s the only non-adult in the book. The science is very accessible and reasonably well grounded.

If you’re a human being who can read and like action-packed stories, you’ll probably enjoy this book. I know I did.

Mike, Out.

The Violins of August, reviewed

Howdy all

Well, in honor of Valentine's Day, here's a book with a teen heroine and a love triangle set largely in the City of Love:

In The Violins of Autumn, Adele and Denise are two young women visiting Paris and the surrounding countryside, taking in the sights, visiting French cafes, and falling in love. Doesn’t sound like my usual fare, does it? Well, all is not what it seems. The year is 1944, and Adele and Denise are members of the British Special Operations Executive, a paramilitary force that served behind enemy lines in World War II. They are tasked with aiding French resistance fighters hindering the German forces prior to the coming Allied invasion at Normandy, and when Adele isn’t torn between a French resistance fighter and a downed American fighter pilot, she’s tearing the Nazis a new one via espionage and sabotage.

Violins of Autumn isn’t particularly memorable, but it’s an enjoyable way to kill a few hours (it’s a very quick read). Author Amy McAuley seems to have done her homework, and the book celebrates some unsung heroes, the few women who fought behind the frontlines against the Axis for the Western powers (there were 55 female SOE agents, 13 of whom were KIA or died in captivity).

-Mike, out.

FAKE ID, reviewed

Howdy all

So, a little over a week ago I was browsing my Facebook newsfeed when a sponsored post appeared, advertising a local YA author's book launch at a nearby Barnes and Noble. The book, FAKE ID by Lamar Giles, was advertised as part YA mystery thirller, part family drama, and I admit the premise alone intrigued me. Plus, as I thought to myself, no one ever came to the book signings I ever did, so I should go to either comiserate or see what he's doing right.

As it turns out, Giles is doing a lot of things right, most important among them writing a taunt, action-packed YA thriller that should have plenty of appeal to guys and gals alike. FAKE ID grabs your attention from the begining and doesn't let go until the very end, keeping you guessing until the last twist that you never see coming.

The basics: Nick Pearson and his mom and dad have just moved to Stepton, Virginia. Except Nick Pearson isn't his real name. Nick and his family are in Witness Protection, after Nick's dad turned state's evidence on his boss, gangster Kreso Maric. With Maric on the run, Nick and his family have been moving around the country under federal protection for the last 4 years, and his dad just can't seem to stay out of trouble.

But trouble has a way of following Nick, starting with a run-in with the school bully on his first day at school. Rescue comes from an unlikely source in the form of Eli Cruz, the school's resident journalist. But in a month's time Eli will be dead, and he won't be the last to die. It falls to Nick to unravel the mystery, and all he has to go on is the codename of Eli's last investigation....Whispertown.

I think one of the hardest part of writing YA fiction as an adult is making everything feel authentic and organic. Giles makes it look easy. I can't quite describe his writing style, but I like it. The book flows very well, and in addition to being an entertaining story, it's very well written. I highly reccomend it.

FAKE ID is out now for Kindle, in hardcover, and as an audiobook.

-Mike, out.

Cat Outta Hell!

Hey Everyone!


Just a quick note today. Aircraft Resource Center, one of the preeminent scale modeling sites on the web, ran an article today on my F-14 model featured on the new cover of THE EIGHTH DAY. Head over there if you want to learn more about the model and see some exclusive photos!


http://www.arcair.com/Gal13/12701-12800/gal12785-F-14-ONeal/00.shtm


-Mike, out

Re: Your braaiinnnssss...

Special treat today, boys and girls. The Kindle edition of THE EIGHTH DAY is now live (so if you were waiting for that to get an e-book copy, go download one now), and here’s a backstage peak at how the cover was made:

Also today is a review of a book I’ve been meaning to post for the last 6 months or so, and it’s been out for a long time, so I’m pretty late to the party.

Max Brook’s oral history of the zombie apocalypse is a new American classic. It’s the book equivalent of The Dark Knight, taking a ridiculous concept and making a genuine piece of art out of it. Much as I do love reading off my Kindle or a good old fashioned paperback, for this one I’m going have to recommend the movie-edition audiobook. The book is so well written, and the voice acting so superb, by the end you feel like you have just had something recounted that actually happened, which is crazy considering how different the world is at the end of Brook’s book from ours. The book is read by a full cast with some big names: Martin Scorsese, Mark Hamill, Nathan Fillon, Alan Alda, the list goes on, and the talent shows through. Structured very differently than a traditional novel, we hear the story of the Zombie war from those who lived it at every level, from civilian survivors to Army grunts to world leaders, and at every phase, from Patient Zero to the initial panic to the US Army’s eventual long march to retake the country. I also really like how there’s no magic “thing” that leads to a climax, no magic cure to be found, just a long, bloody, determined military campaign and the retooling of what’s left of America to support the war effort, in a manner very reminiscent of WWII.   

In world building it’s the details that matter, and Brooks nails it here. From the nicknames the soldiers come up with for the swarms of undead, like “Zach” or “G’s”, to the tales of war-profiteering, political incompetence, and celebrity privilege run amok, World War Z creates an immersive atmosphere more believable than even the ripped-from-the-headlines (or more eerily, predicting the headlines in some cases) Clancy-esque thrillers I generally favor.  So if you haven’t done so, go check it out!

P.S. Haven’t seen the movie yet but I hear the only thing the book and the movie have in common is the title, so no movie cliff notes for you!

-Mike, Out. 

If We Survive, reviewed

Well, continuing on my bent of reviewing YA books that might interest guys, today I present If We Survive by Andrew Klavan.

 

 

I was browsing through the local library’s Overdrive selection of audiobooks. I don’t remember if I’ve discussed Overdrive at length, but it’s an awesome way to get digital books (e-books and audiobooks) from your library right to your PC, tablet, e-reader or smartphone. As a busy guy who doesn’t get to make trips to the library nearly as much as I’d like, this is a great tool, especially paired with my beloved Kindle Fire.

I almost passed on this book. I picked up Klavan’s Homelanders books in one set out of the bargain bin at a local retail store and I just can’t get into it. The teenage protagonist is an insufferable brat, and the villains are cartoonish. Also, the 1980’s called and they want their mindless cheesy jingoism back. But, I couldn’t find anything more readily appealing so I borrowed If We Survive, and I’m quite glad I did.

The book follows a group of young American students on a short mission trip to the Latin American country of Costa Verdes. The book’s narrator, 16 year old Will Peterson, could be any average American teenager, and he’s far more affable than the character from the Homelanders. At the tail end of the trip, the country becomes engulfed in a violent revolution, and the Americans are suddenly in grave danger. Their only hope of escaping alive is a battle-hardened and embittered young ex-Marine, but the path to freedom is fraught with danger, both from the rebels and the hazards of the jungle wilderness.

The book is very fast paced, and the action is taunt and relentless. It’s also a far more nuanced tale, the heroes flawed but likeable and the bad guys villainous but not caricatures. The book also does a much better job of hooking you in at the very beginning. So if you’re looking for a quick, enjoyable fast-apced thriller, give it a try!

-Mike, out.