Monthly Archives: December 2015

Short story clear out

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green arm

As you can see above, I’ve broken my wrist (and sprained the other one). I’m typing one handed, with my left (non-dominant) hand. It’s awkward and slow. A full length review sounds like hell to produce. So, with the exception of the book I’m currently finishing (the X for my alphabet soup challenge), I’m going to focus on short stories that I can write brief—one or two line—reviews of for a while. And I think, instead of several posts, I’ll just update this one every couple days. It’s less than ideal, but so is a cast. On the upside, this should really un-clutter my TBR list.

Argg, I cannot believe I broke my arm!

Night, by J. Kavanagh: Interesting, but feels very much like the beginning of something longer, instead of a self-contained story.

Tea with Death, by Joel M. Andre : An interesting idea that due to poor execution comes across as didactic and dull.

The Insanity of Zero, by Michael Offutt: Interesting religious retelling, but ultimately too short to feel substantial.

Shadow Bound, by Garrett Leigh: Meh, not enough there to be worth my time.

The Last Titan, by Edward LangeLots of gore and destruction, but I never saw the point of the story.

The Fall of Ithar, by Kevis Hendrickson: Creative, but full of pointless Old English and contextless to the point of uselessness.

Sun Side, by J. Kavanagh: I enjoyed it and, unlike so many short stories, stands alone.

A Different Kind of Devil, by J. Matthew Saunders: Surprisingly good. A little cliche, but atmospheric and engaging.

Confinement, by Erik Haldeman: Meh, ok, but read like one giant info drop.

Betraying Nexus, by Richard L. Sanders: Suffers from over-simplified coincidences, but was amusing enough.

Secret Friends (The Monfits), by Gloria Riggs: Very obviously intended for children, but even so, it’s very simplistic.

Blood in the Water, by Megan Derr: A cute Little Mermaid retelling/continuation. A little lean in the middle, but I enjoyed it.

Why, Why, Zed?, by Leigh Ellwood: OK. Had a surprise twist. Needed editing, the car that went from BMW to Porsche to BMW was distracting, for example. Continue reading →

Perdu

Book Review of Perdu (Redire de Vampyrus, #1) by Raeden Zen

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PerduI’ve had Perdu (by Raeden Zen) for quite some time, having picked it up from the Amazon free list over two years ago.

Description from Goodreads:
Ruth and Eugene Flowers desired the American dream: two kids, a big house, and a dog. But it wasn’t meant to be–at least not initially. When a surprise package literally fell into their laps, however, the Flowers would finally get their wish (sort of). Soon, it all goes awry, as mysterious deaths followed by a disappearance permanently disrupt their lives. Meanwhile, many years later, a grown-up Valerie Green, a nearby neighbor’s daughter and high-school sweetheart of their son, Zan, hits it huge in the Big Apple, first landing at Columbia University, then at the New York Pioneer, the hottest online periodical in the city. When she is forced to cross the path of hotshot FBI special agent, Dr. Devean Rasr, she doesn’t realize she is also wading much deeper into the biggest, most dangerous, and most challenging killing spree in the history of NYC.

Review:
This book is a mess. There’s no identifiable main character. It has no consistent timeline. Characters make absolutely unfollowable leaps of logic. Clues conveniently pop out of nowhere. The villain is a character that literally isn’t in the novel until the reveal and then isn’t in it after, so a nobody. There are several info-drops, most of which is pointless information that is never utilized. There is constant head hopping. Characters appear and disappear as needed. No one have believable emotions. The dialogue is stilted. The love is unfounded and baseless. Pretty sure I have nothing positive to say about any of it….Ok, it was short and I like the cover.