Tag Archives: Saint Louis author

Dark Warrior Unleashed

Book Review of Dark Warrior Unleashed (Talions #1), by Alexis Morgan

Leave a reply

Dark Warrior Unleased

I posted about Dark Warrior Unleashed, by Alexis Morgan, a couple months ago, when I picked up four Morgan’s books at a second hand story and was shocked to see them autographed and dedicated to Mom & Dad. How did the end up in a charity shop? I, of course, don’t know. But it intrigued me. I gave the first a read.Alexis Morgan signature 2

Description from Goodreads:
The rough and rugged Talions, sexy warriors who stop at nothing to deliver justice, star in this steamy new paranormal series from Alexis Morgan.

He’s on a mission to annihilate the enemy. 

A Talion enforcer, Ranulf Thorsen has served his people for a thousand years, delivering the eye-for-an-eye justice by which his kinsmen live. Weary of the centuries-long fight, the fierce warrior with icy blue eyes has secluded himself on a mountain far from the chaos of the modern world below. Now he’s been summoned to face the most dangerous battle of his life — and the fate of his people is on the line. But when he meets the beautiful woman he has sworn to defend… 

Ranulf and his bitter rival, fellow Talion Sandor Kearn, must find the rogue Kyth who set a violent fire in a nightclub. The near-deadly blaze’s unlikely heroine, Kerry Logan, is also a Kyth, possessing the ancient Nordic people’s unique ability to manipulate human energy. She just doesn’t know it yet. …who will protect his heart? 

Kerry finds more than comfort in her warrior’s embrace, and Ranulf hungers to both defend and claim the petite powerhouse for his own. But with time ticking away and their lives on the line, will Kerry believe the wild tale he’s telling her, and master her powers…before it’s too late?

Review:
Pretty bog standard, unimpressive paranormal romance. Not bad, just not in any way special or impressive. I appreciated that the heroine stood up for herself frequently and often got her own way. She seemed smart and determined.

But honestly, the villain was evil for no reason except that he was evil and he was a pretty cliched baddie too. The attraction between the H and h was almost instant. The Talions are supposed to be a group but no other Talion is ever actually mentioned. In fact, it felt like there was a whole dearth of people in the world. Like Morgan couldn’t be bothered to flesh it out.

Worst of all, though ,was that there was very very little tension in the book. We’re told frequently that this was the hardest mission of Ranulf’s long life and that the villain had to be hunted, etc. etc. But the characters went dancing, ate, made love repeatedly and then the climax was brief and uninspiring. After all the villain’s grandstanding your never shown his realization that he’ll be defeated. Meh

What I’m drinking: Iced, cold-brew chicory. Chicory is a habit I picked up when I last gave up caffeine (cold turkey, even) and needed something more robust than herbal tea. Chicory tastes enough like coffee to sooth the beast and, hey, it happens to be good for you too.

Book Review of A Bullet Apiece, by John Joseph Ryan

Leave a reply

A Bullet ApieceI borrowed a copy of A Bullet Apiece, by John Joseph Ryan, from my local library. It should be noted or disclosed that Ryan apparently lives in my neighborhood. I have never actually met him, but I did once meet his wife and that is how I know about the book. So, hey there, if you’ve found this, surprise, I’m reading John’s novel.

Description from Goodreads:
All is not well in post-World War II St. Louis, and private eye Ed Darvis, a man pegged as liking justice too much, discovers there’s a fine line between solving a crime and being an accomplice.

Ed Darvis, a St. Louis private eye, is pegged as a man who “likes justice too much.” Maybe that’s why business is slow; turns out not everyone in St. Louis is looking for justice. Revenge, deceit, and a little profit-taking on the side are all too often the modus operandi of cops and criminals alike. But when a beautiful woman walks into his bland storefront agency on the seedy side of town and asks him to help find her kidnapped daughter, Darvis’s life heats up. He must use his wits to survive, jabbing and feinting with deadpan directness and cynical ease, and when that doesn’t work, delivering justice with the blunt end of his .38 revolver.

Review:
You know, I hadn’t realized it, but I don’t think I’d ever read a true Noir novel before this one. Oh, I knew what to expect. I’ve seen enough Noir movies to know what to expect, but somehow it hits you so much more strongly in writing. And this is important to note, because, though this is really quite well written, I found I couldn’t really like it.

It’s dark and gritty, which is usually just up my alley, but it’s also set in 1960 and full of just as much casual sexism (and racism) as you’d expect from the time period, not to mention having two separate horrific crimes both basically predicated on the victimization of women (which I’m just sick of in general, because it seems like 80% of the crimes in books are). And I think this is definitely a characteristic of the genre, rather than any poor choices of the author. But I got very tired of the exaggerated male gaze; every woman is described in reference to her attractiveness or the attractiveness of her parts. In fact, the main character’s attraction to a certain pair of legs starts the whole thing off. And it’s just exasperated by the classic men are heroes women are victims storyline(s). In the end, I just didn’t particularly like Darvis or his worldview.

There were things I did like. Again, I thought the writing was fun, especially if you like the Dragnet-like dialogue or the traditional ‘gumshoe.’ The descriptions of Saint Louis are vivid (I happen to live in the Lou) and I really appreciated that it’s diverse. Not all the hookers are women, for example. I didn’t figure out the mysteries, which is something I always appreciate and it’s a stand-alone book. Plus, and I know this is almost irrelevant, but I read the paperback version and I just liked the typeset and binding style of it.

So, though I learned a little something about myself and my genre preferences, I can’t really knock the book for falling outside my circle of love. If you’re the sort who enjoys Noir, I recommend picking this one up, because the only true faults I found are personal pet peeves, not quality issues. It seems very true to what I expected out of a Noir novel.

VEIL

Book Review of Aaron Overfield’s VEIL

Leave a reply

Author, Aaron Overfield, sent me an e-copy of his sic-fi novel VEIL.

Description from Goodreads:
Dr. Jin Tsay’s revelation entices the military with a potential to uncover and disarm any covert threats. The government that funded the engineer’s classified project orders Tsay’s death, so they can solely and secretly possess his alluring technological consummation: VEIL

Veil proves to be the purest, deepest form of espionage and anti-terrorism by endowing humankind with the ability to experience life through another person. Dr. Tsay’s technology offers submersion into another’s mind; Veil provides a direct perception of their immediate thoughts, emotions, memories, and the rush of their most intimate senses. If it ever escapes the military’s relentlessly selfish grip, Veil swears to permanently alter the psychosocial, sexual, political, economic, and religious landscapes of our lives. Veil promises to usher in our ultimately unifying evolution: the New Veil World.

Retribution for Dr. Jin Tsay’s assassination comes in the form of his widow, who races to deliver Veil unto the world and share it freely, before those who ordered her husband’s murder can exploit it. Wielding the inescapable force of Veil, Suren Tsay seeks to inflict justice upon all those responsible for her husband’s demise, culminating in an unforgiving, brutal, obsessive hunt for the elusive killer of the father of the New Veil World: the Great Jin Tsay.

Taking Veil beyond limits Jin himself could’ve imagined, the revered Widow Tsay vows to get her revenge at any cost. Suren Tsay soon realizes she too must inhabit the world created by her husband’s invention and her own bloodlust.

Suren must learn to live in the New Veil World.
She must also fight to liberate it.

Review:
When the Widow Tsay decides to avenge the death of her husband the world will never be the same. In telling her story Aaron Overfield’s Veil presents a convincing and frightening vision of social evolution.

The absolute best part of this book is the way people relate to one another. Emotions aren’t just surface decoration, but are all encompassing. People love with their whole heart and hate just as strongly. They also contradictorily treat each other with complete irreverence. They call each other nasty names and fling politically incorrect insults at one another, as only those most comfortable with each other can. Most of which is really funny. So are a lot of the author’s interjections. While this makes the book a joy to read there really is a serious message here. What is the moral responsibility of science and scientists? What marks us out as individuals and how much of this is necessary to live appreciable human lives? Like Huxley or Orwell, Overfield forces the reader to imagine how dangerous it can be to give up too much of their autonomy, no matter how well-intentioned the organisation involved.

Despite the bold characters I wouldn’t consider the book to be character driven (unless you consider Veil as a character). It tends to leap at regular intervals, leaving the main cast to age unobserved. Every time it did this I thought, ‘no I want to know more about what happened next.’ I was quickly engrossed in the next epoch of Veil, however, and forgot my disappointment.

The book is quite long and does tend to repeat itself. This might or might not be a purposeful attempt to remind the reader of earlier events. I don’t know. Either way, while it is noticeable it isn’t particularly distracting.

If you pick this one up I recommend reading all of the book, and by all of it I mean everything from the copyright page to the epilogue and beyond. It’s worth it. (Not something I have cause to say often.)