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.

Free Book Giveaway

Remember folks, today and tomorrow you can get a free e-book copy of my first novel, The Eighth Day! Head over to http://www.amazon.com/The-Eighth-Day-ebook/dp/B004URS0C4/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1382800404&sr=1-5&keywords=The+Eighth+Day to get yours! Don't have a Kindle? Download the free Kindle app for PC/Mac or mobile device! Happy Reading!

I would have liked to have seen Montana....

Mark your calenders! October 26-27, the e-book edition of my debut novel, THE EIGHTH DAY, will be available 100% FREE on Amazon.com. No catch, just go to Amazon and download it for Kindle or the free Kindle app available for your PC, tablet, or smartphone.

Well, this has not been a banner year for people who inspired me to read and write. On Tuesday, one of the great writers of our generation passed away.

Whatever you think of his books, his politics, or anything, there’s no denying Tom Clancy’s success or impact on the entire entertainment spectrum. His books spawned four blockbuster movies with a new set now in production, the first of which is due out Christmas this year. Also due this Christmas is his final novel, Command Authority, and it will likely be his 18^th consecutive bestseller. Nevermind all  the blockbuster video games, non-fiction books, etc. It is a very rare author indeed who singlehandedly invents an entire genre of books, but that is precisely what Clancy did with The Hunt For Red October, the first true “techno-thriller”.

Much has been said in the press about his legacy in the last few days, and there’s little I could say to add to it. All I know is that my favorite storyteller has spun his last yarn, and the world is a poorer place for it. True, his politics had gone off the rails in the last few novels, (politics in books is a topic I will save for another post), but if anything the storytelling had only gotten better. Clancy had an eye for detail that was so perfect for creating an immersive story. I think the only writer who ever equaled him in terms of making the reader feel like they were in the world of the book is JK Rowling.

It was that attention to detail and meticulous research that brought Clancy his fame and success. When Red October was published in 1984 everyone assumed he was a naval officer or intelligence insider. No one could believe the book had been written by an insurance salesman drawing from open sources (in the days before Internet searches, no less!).

So rest in peace, Mr. Clancy. I suspect that, much like a certain other intelligence operative, Jack Ryan will return. But nobody did it better.

The Homecoming Queen (and an Enemy of the Crown)

Special treat today folks: The new cover art design is done! I sent it off to the publisher and he likes it (though as a former Navy jet jock he “wasn’t thrilled” about seeing Soviet stars on a F-14, no matter how accurate to the book it may be). The new edition should be available on Amazon in a few weeks, and to celebrate, Bluewater Press will be making the Kindle version available FREE during an upcoming weekend (date TBD, check back here for updates, I’ll let you know as soon as I do). Until then, here’s the new design:

 

So for today’s review I have a bit of a departure from the norm. It’s not a book but a web comic by Lora Innes, entitled The Dreamer (it’s also available as a series of graphic novels so it still counts as book).

 

The Dreamer the title refers to is 17 year old Bea Whaley, a pretty, popular teenager living in modern-day Boston…but one night she falls asleep and suddenly she’s a prisoner of General William Howe, the leader the British Army contingent sent to quell the rebellion in the Colonies. She is rescued by a dashing American patriot named Allan Warren, the (apparently fictitious) cousin of Joseph Warren, a very real historical figure (who was killed in action at the Battle of Bunker Hill), and Allan seems to have been very fond of her for a very long time…they return to camp where they meet Allan’s commanding officer, LTC Thomas Knowlton. Allan is part of Knowlton’s Rangers, a unit that was essentially America’s first Special Operations force, and to which the US Army Special Forces trace their lineage. Bea also makes the acquaintance of the ill-fated Nathan Hale. (She’ll later meet other figures like Alexander Hamilton, and some obscure guy named George Washington). When Bea wakes up again she’s back in 2013, but every night she’s back in 1776. At first they seem like just dreams, but slowly she starts remembering things from a past she never knew she had. Is Bea reliving a past life? Or is she actually travelling back in time? 500 pages into it, that part isn’t clear yet. What is clear is that the story is utterly engrossing, and very well researched.  Tiny details like Allan and his brother John (another real figure) digging up Joseph’s body (which had been pointedly buried unceremoniously by the British) and identifying him by his dental work, possibly the first recorded use of forensic dental identification, are spread throughout the story.

Her dreams also play havoc on her modern life. When she learns of Nathan Hale’s fate in history class, she’s desperate to get home and fall asleep so she can save her friend, and may have OD’d on sleeping pills. (This is where the story leaves off at the moment). Not to mention she’s torn between the modern day football player she’s been crushing on for the last five years and the soldier who was apparently the love of her life…in 1776.

Lora is a tremendously gifted artist and storyteller, and she’s done her homework. If you know me you know I’m a big history buff, and so while the whole “teen romance” thing didn’t really appeal to me, the historical drama is so engrossing it’s ridiculous. And the characters are very believable too (I wish the same could be said for the YA novel I’m struggling to read right now). I can’t wait to see where the story goes next, too bad the next issue doesn’t come out til January. Still, that leaves plenty of time for you to catch up. Check out The Dreamer at www.thedreamercomic.com.

-Mike, Out

King and Maxwell, reviewed

David Baldacci is one of my favorite writers, and his Sean King/Michelle Maxwell series are among my favorite books. As disgraced former Secret Service agents (King's last "principal" was assassinated, Maxwell's was kidnapped), they've gone into business together as private investigators, who end up getting caught up in some pretty wild cases. So I was intrigued when I heard TNT was creating a King and Maxwell TV series, with Baldacci as a creative consultant. The series premiered yesterday night.

So far...I'm kinda underwhelmed. I like the leads. Jon Tenney and Rebecca Romjin do have good chemistry and are largely faithful adaptations of the characters. Where the pilot goes badly astray is trying to squeeze a 400+ page book into 47 minutes. The pilot is a (very loose) adaptation of Baldacci's lastest King/Maxwell book, The Sixth Man, and it compares very poorly to the book. The show has none of the story's emotional impact, and there's no character development whatsoever. Books shorter than that are nowadays often split into two 2+ hour long full length movies. The tone is kind of off, too. It's kinda lighthearted, and the books definitely aren't.

Whether or not the show succeeds will depend on if they decide to continue to loosely adapt Baldacci's novels or branch off into original stories. More adaptations are almost guaranteed to fall flat.

With the overwhelming success of Games of Thrones on HBO, and a slew of crime dramas based on novels on network television, it seems TV is the new frontier for adapting books. What are your thoughts on this? Sound off in the comments!

-Mike