The Horns of Ruin Review

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(More customer reviews)Eva Forge is the last Paladin of the God of War Morgan. The problem is he is long dead from his brother's hands Amon. This leaves only the last brother immortal Alexander as the last living god in charge of the city of Ash and its surrounding areas. As Paladin Eva is entrusted with the security and protection of the Cult of Morgan and its followers. Not an easy thing for just one person, but with sword and magicked gun she soldiers on with loose lips and a hothead attitude. While on a mission to take the leader of her order somewhere and back some craziness with zombies of a sort goes down and she must track down one of her own.
The Horns of Ruin is very different tonally from Heart of Veridon so don't expect more of the same. It has an almost animalistic and visceral feel with loads of fights and colorful language that may be more at home in a Fantasy novel. Eva Forge is one tough lady who doesn't have much of a feminine side, but that is what you get when you train a person from childhood how to kill. I was immediately taken in by Eva's brusque disposition, which is best shown in her dialogue where she verbally combats people just as much as physically. Yet outside of Eva most characters aren't given much depth or detail that would connect you better with them.
The system of magic is based off of chanting and belief of past events, which was a nice way of mixing religion and magic given the nature of their gods. There is sometimes an over abundance of the chanting magic as Eva stretches herself to keep going. The Horns of Ruin often blends magic and science that comes off very blurred at times, which made my mind want to rebel not knowing which aspect was intended. Finally I just decided to go with it and not try to read too much into how something in particular was possible. The followers of Amon's abilities are particularly intriguing being that have a mastery over technology, but can also affect power through chanting including an impressive unmaking type spell. There are some Steampunk elements to be sure such as some jet packs and monorails, but this feels like a post Steampunk world with a healthy dash of magic and gods thrown in.
You'd be hard pressed to name a faster paced book. Akers barely gives you time to contemplate all the happenings as Eva bounces from one fight to the next. The relationships between the brother/gods are left very vague for quite a longtime, but as pieces are unfurled a new mystery takes shape. I particularly enjoyed the way Akers handles his gods and how their powers originate and the deep history that is alluded to.
If anything I'd call The Horns of Ruin Swords & Science. Fans of hack and slash Fantasy just may have found the steampunky read they've been looking for. The Horns of Ruin is an energetic rollercoaster ride in a well accentuated world that needs to be further explored. The ending while satisfying does leave much left open. There has been no word yet on another Eva Forge book, but the second Jacob Burn book Dead of Veridon is schedule for June 2011 from Solaris.

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Eva Forge is the last paladin of the dead God, Morgan.
Eva, forsaken by her parents and forgotten by her family, was the last child dedicated to the Cult of Morgan. Morgan, God of battle and champion of the Fraterdom, was assassinated by his jealous brother, Amon. Over time, the Cult of Morgan has been surpassed by other Gods, his blessings ignored in favor of brighter technologies and more mechanical miracles. Now, Eva watches as her new family, her Cult, crumbles around her.
When a series of kidnappings and murders makes it clear that someone is trying to hasten the death of the Cult of Morgan, Eva must seek out unexpected allies and unwelcome answers in the city of Ash. But will she be able to save the city from a growing conspiracy, one that reaches back to her childhood, even back to the murder of her God?
As Eva wields her sword and wits in a city full of wonders, her story becomes the first perfect merger of steampunk and sword and sorcery.

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Twilight of the Dead Review

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(More customer reviews)As a fan of all-things-zombie for over twenty years I had never experienced "zombie fiction" before, and eagerly scoured the Amazon reviews of probably the exact same books you have already looked at. After reading the glowing reviews of this book I discounted the amateurish cover art and immediately ordered it.
Upon arrival the first thing I noticed once I began perusing the first few pages was the size of the font. I'm sure I'm being nit-picky but it seemed to me that a larger size font was chosen to maximize the number of pages - slim still at just over 200 pages. This, coupled with the actual dimensions of the book and the heretofore cited simplistic cover art just gave me the feeling I was holding something aimed at a much younger audience. Don't get me wrong, I fully realize this is a book about the Zombie Apocalypse, but I guess I expected something a little more literary after seeing reviews calling it the "best book I ever read" and throwing out phrases like "metaphysical subjectivism." I have to wonder what other "books" these reviewers tend to read.
As for the story, I will admit it is enjoyable for what it offers. However, some things had me wondering "wait, didn't they just say.." and "that doesn't seem right, wouldn't they have..." a little too often. I felt like I was reading a second or third draft where the plot hadn't been cemented nor the holes filled in. And my god, please use a proofreader in future. I can forgive an overlooked comma but there were too many instances where something that should have been caught actually took me out of the story wondering if maybe I had read it wrong. The biggest offender being a cliffhanger-type situation closing out a chapter - "But he had been bitten!" instead was printed "But he had bitten!" which made no sense in the context of the scene and really ruined the tension of the moment.
Character-wise it was refreshing to have a female protagonist, but I was struck by the fact that seemingly every male in her life, excluding her father, either wanted to have sex with her or already had. Seemed a bit banal to me. I found myself rolling my eyes every time another newly introduced male character threw out a clichéd come-on or uttered a moronic innuendo. Enough.
Bottom line: it's a fairly enjoyable read if you can get past the overall unpolished feeling and glaring editorial oversights.
I just glanced down at the next part of this review form, where it says "I am over the age of 13." A very applicable phrase with which to end this .

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Courtney Colvin was nearing the end of her teenage years when the undead apocalypse began. She survived, forsaking her youth and innocence, and five years later she continues to exist--albeit lonely--in the fortified town of Eastpointe. Nightmares and the unwelcome advances of Leon Wolfe are the worst things she's dealing with now in her otherwise mundane life. But when a newcomer arrives in town and claims to know the location of the antidote to the zombie plague, it sends Eastpointe into an uproar. To retrieve this cure, she and a group of other survivors must venture outside the relative safety of the compound's walls and into a world ruled and dominated by the flesh-eating undead. Twilight of the Dead puts a new spin on the zombie genre, yet remains true to the classic rules that have already been set forth. A sure-fire reading pleasure for anyone who loves character-driven horror. This Special Edition contains an Introduction by David Moody and three bonus short stories detailing important moments in the lives of other survivors

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The Undead: Zombie Anthology Review

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(More customer reviews)The Undead certainly spans a wide gamut of zombie fiction, with tales ranging from the sick and twisted to the intriguing and humorous, from well known authors and those just planting their feet inside the door. This anthology takes it's reader into space, back in time to the high seas of the late 1700's, out to deserted islands, and back to the streets of present day, showing just how versatile this genre of horror fiction can be. Some of my favorites include:
"Pale Moonlight" by D.L. Snell - Nathan seems stuck in a house quickly being overrun by the undead, but he has a surprise of his own for them once the full moon comes into view.
"Home" by David Moody - Anyone who has read any of David Moody's Autumn books can easily see how this stand-alone short story could fit into that same vision. However, this tale contains an intriguing twist.
"Only Begotten" by Rebecca Lloyd - A child with a bite only a mother could love.
"Hell and Back" by Vince Churchill - A very ill father tries to protect his children in the wake of the Romero flu that has swept the globe.
"The Dead Life" by Mike Watt - Bernice Dobbs has a zombie infestation in the basement that needs to be cleared up before the women's auxiliary shows up. An odd pair of exterminators show up to handle the problem.
"Cold as He Wishes" by C.M. Shevlin - A boy uses a trick taught to him by his grandfather to obtain any girl he desires, as long as she's among the recently deceased.
"Graveyard Slot" by Cavan Scott - A gruesome reality show goes horribly awry when an unwitting and unwilling participant gets thrown into the mix.
Most anthologies contain several "hits" as well as several "misses." However, each and every tale within The Undead is as interesting as the one before it. This anthology should not be passed up by anyone who is a fan of zombie fiction, or good horror fiction in general. A sequel to this amazing anthology has already been announced, and I intend to snatch it up as soon as it is released!

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"The Undead" is a stunning collection of 23 tales of the living dead by zombie fan favorites and up-and-coming authors."The Undead" includes classic tales of survival in a world populated by the living dead as well as an array of unique takes on the zombie genre: zombies as reality entertainment, glimpses from inside the "life" of the undead, intergalactic war withhumanity's own dead turned against us, and everything in between."The Undead" will leave zombie fans hungry for more!

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Allison Hewitt Is Trapped: A Zombie Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)This is such a fun book on so many levels! This is what literary fiction should be. It gives you so much to think about. . . how would I react in a similar survivalist situation? The zombies were almost just placeholders for me. You could replace zombies with almost any disaster. The hidden message for me was, "Who is the real enemy?" I absolutely loved how the mother issue was dealt with, very realistic and so beautiful. It's the kind of book that gives you research too if one is so inclined. Each chapter is the name of a classic book. OK, this was just a wonderful adventure story too! I read this book in 24 hours and wish I could pick up the sequel right now! This book is better than the "Twilight" series which I must admit I liked a lot too. This is an author to watch. Good stuff!

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Pretty When She Dies: A Vampire Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)I will say, while this book had it's issues for me, it kept my attention.
The story was unique and in a genre like this, that alone says something. The Texan landscape and colorful scruffy cast helps this book stand out from the herd. I enjoyed the character's and their relationships overall.
My main problem with the book was, as another reviewer commented, it could have used a good editor to clean it up. Aspects felt, for lack of a better word, amateur. Word repetition (battered for example) cropped multiple times in a single page, and there were enough grammatical errors and typos to distract. The font size changed periodically as well which was odd.
Little things like that can make it hard for me to maintain my focus within a story, but I found Frater's story and characters engaging enough to forgive some of the clumsiness. I think she has a lot of potential, and as another reviewer pointed out: it's nice to see vampires being bad, they have been thoroughly de-fanged recently. Also the book was nice looking for a self published, and I like the cover art quite a bit.
I found the bloodletting sex scenes surprisingly well done as well, and the sexual tension between the two leads is fun and believable.
All in all, if you love vamp fiction and want to go a little toward the fringes than this could be a good fit.

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Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry...... in a new, horrific, unimaginable way...Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas.Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature.All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what's worse is that he's a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding.Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind.But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation... or her death?

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