Tag Archives: Horror

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Flight 906 to Chicago

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A really good look at the first day of the outbreak from a civilian viewpoint. The characters are all three dimensional and have the feeling of reality to them. The story starts a little slowly but quickly picks up and brings you into the action of what is about to be a very bad day for the world.

Henry and Charlie, father and son, go on what should be a routine favor to pick up Henry’s younger brother Lewis from the airport. While on the way they find themselves in the traffic jam from hell and end up running late. They believe there must be some type of accident up ahead until they see SWAT making its way up the shoulder and realize something much more serious is going on.

As they follow behind the SWAT vehicles all Henry can think about is getting to his brother and getting away before any of them are hurt in the chaos. Henry, Charlie, and Lewis witness something that none of them can understand but know that it is deadly.

I found this to be a really nice look into the early days of the infection. I am not so sure about the rapidity of the infection but this was definitely entertaining. I have never read anything by this author and it makes me want to read something by him. I would recommend this to anyone who likes the Extinction Cycle books or just this author in general.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Billy: A Tale of Terror

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The first thing I need to say is that I was drawn to the story by the blurb which promised something that it did not fully deliver on. I was expecting some real horror here but got luke warm horror and a bit character study, not to say that I did not enjoy any of it. The characters are never fully realized and they play out as shadows that you have to fill in the blanks for in order to understand them. None have a fully formed personality which makes it hard to really care about them one way or the other. The backstories for the majority of the characters are vague and do not give enough information to know their motivations. To top everything off things seem to jump around in a way that makes it all very unsettling.

A curse is brought to the home of the St. Pierre family for the transgressions of the patriarch. His daughter has a baby that is less human and more animal than anyone could have expected. The baby is unwanted and unwelcome especially when it takes a beloved member of the family. As Billy grows he is tormented by his siblings and father as they attempt to get rid of him. While they do their worse to him, they are sure that he will one day come for them if they do nothing. Billy becomes a legend in the deep Bayou country.

I basically enjoyed the story even though it was not as linear as I would have liked it to be. It did jump around a great deal leaving you somewhat confused about time. Still, it was worth a read and kept me going if for no other reason than that I wanted to know how things were going to end. Sorry to say the ending was not really very satisfying at all. I would still recommend it with the caveat not to expect any terror.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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The Darwin Collapse

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I read the first book in this series a while ago and was not always happy with it, though I did enjoy it. I can say that this one kept my attention from start to finish and was very satisfying. The characters got a chance to stretch and grow here adding more dimension to their personalities, though some were still very much the same. The locations are spot on and great for me since I know the names of the streets and freeways so well that I could tell exactly where I was when they mentioned it. The victims of the virus are terrifying because they are us with all of the humanity stripped away.

Mason West and his family survived the first days of the outbreak but not without injuries both physical and mental. Mason continues to protect Iridia even though he really does not have to but he is an honorable man and would not do anything else. Elio is in the West home because he is enamored of their daughter Theresa but also because he needs to heal.

Anton Reshenko has unleashed hell on earth for the people of the world and is focused on locating his daughter and going to the next phase of his plan. The Deltas are doing what he expected, more or less but he wants more from them. He is willing to kill anyone for his vision of the future.

This is told from multiple points of view which is great since there are so any things going on. This had some great action with very emotional parts. I did some laughing, crying and yelling. Loved every minute of it! Definitely recommend.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Countdown: A Prequel Story

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This was a short but sweet introduction to the character and the situation that will soon be jumping off. While there was no major depth given to the character himself, you are left with understanding that he will be very important to the action in the main novel. You also get to see the start of the epidemic which is to come because they had no idea of what was happening before they busted in. This gives me a reason to read further about this .

The narrator was adequate but not perfect because he sounded just a bit dry. This could be his interpretation of the character and it could change as things go forward. I would say to listen and decide for yourself.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Scattered Screams

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This starts out fairly slow and so it took me a couple of days to get through just the prologue then it picks up the action. The characters are a little vague but mostly likeable, though some more than others. The writing can seem a little repetitive with a point being made over and over throughout the narrative, like the fact that a character is a friend, as if you could have forgotten already. There are problems throughout with character names being used incorrectly by switching them for another within a conversation. There are some mistakes in spelling and word usage that kind of slows down the progress sometimes but you can get past it.

Marcus Nelson is a University Professor in New York who has gone to California for a conference. He decides to take his son Ali and his friend Vic along with him so they can tour some college campuses. While on the Stanford campus they experience an earthquake along with a bright flash of light which seems to start a killing frenzy among some of the people. As the insanity starts to escalate Marcus can only think of two things, protecting the boys and getting home to his wife. When he finds more survivors he hopes that they can all get out and find safety or at least a way to head west.

This was not the best story I have read but it was entertaining. You will have to suspend reality in order to follow and believe some of it, or at least I did. There is never an explanation given for what has happened and nobody seems very curious about it. I hope that some answers will be given in the next book to clear up some things. This may not be for everyone but I think some will at least like it. Give it a read and see for yourself, I would recommend it to those who like zombie like creatures.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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They Thirst

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I remember reading this for the first time and finding myself totally involved in the story. It was a vampire story that I could understand with people who did predictable and sometimes stupid things but the human thing to do. The vampires that are created are in a lot of instances the worst kind of people who can be found to begin. I like that time is taken to develop each of the main characters and it even gives a nice accounting for the side characters. This was even better for me because I lived/live in Los Angeles, though the earlier reading had me not knowing some of the areas mentioned because I had a limited knowledge of the city.

Andy Palatazin was a boy in Krajeck Hungary when the nightmare began for him and his mother. They fled into the night and snow to save their lives and found themselves in California where he grew to manhood. Andy has become a Captain with the Los Angeles police and is hunting a serial killer when things start to become familiar. Andy sees the same signs that befell his old village before it fell to the dark forces.

Prince Conrad Vulkan has come to Los Angeles to create an army of vampires in his quest to destroy the human race and become the ultimate ruler. His death in 1342 was only the beginning for this child of privilege who has visions of grandeur running through his head.

How do you save people who will not believe in the boogie man?

While I still enjoyed the story because it still packs a bit of a punch, I found myself wanting it to move a little faster. I never noticed until now that it seems to drag as we get toward the end, like he did not want to stop writing. But no matter I still recommend this because it is one of the good vampire novels that does not have any sparkling, sexy, love starved vampires. This is dark and evil from the old school way. This is also the audio version which is well done.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“We?” Vulkan shook free of the Headmaster’s grip. “We? Didn’t you hear them shouting? Whose name did they call? Mine! Prince Conrad Vulkan, King of the Vampires! They call me Master. They recognize me as the highest power!” “I have given you and your kind life. I have taught you the secrets of power, the sorcery of Aba-aner, Nectanebus, and Solomon. I have taught you what it means to be a king. But you’re not invincible, Conrad.…”

Unknown's avatar

No One Must Know

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I rarely give a 1 (one) star rating because there is usually some redeeming feature I can find in the work I have read. This was not one of those times. The pacing was slow and plodding, the character development was pretty much non existent, no idea about the setting because it was never really addressed, and I am guessing at the genre. While reading the flow was interrupted on may occasions by the fact that words misused, wrong word, bad spelling, or just missing words. I cannot even adequately describe the plot so a read of the blurb is in order for anyone who wishes to read this.

While I did not find it to my liking it does not mean that someone else will not find it good for them. So, if you want to take a go it could work. I would disregard a review which calls it pornographic since there are only a few mentions of sex but no actual instances.

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

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The Scattered and the Dead Book 0.5

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The Scattered and the Dead Book 0.5
(The Scattered and the Dead #0.5)
by Tim McBain ,
L.T. Vargus

I liked this but was not blown away by it at all. The way it was set up was kind of interesting but made me think more of a stream of conscious type of thing. It was supposedly a letter being written that kind of gets out of hand. The character, and we really only meet one is never really well defined at all. You get information about him and all but you never really get to know him if you know what I mean. I guess what I am saying is that I never really cared about him much one way or the other except as a way to move the story forward. The biggest thing that lowered my rating was the fact that it incorporates one of my pet peeves, and that is having a large number of chapters (72) in a relatively short form (162 pg).

Decker is about to lose his mother and only real link with the outside world. His life has become shopping to prepare for the plague, being online and television. Never much for socializing he has become more of a homebody since the start of the crisis. There is a bright spot, the girl down the hall who he wants to speak to but can’t find the courage. What he decides to do is write to her and introduce himself in a way, but like most shy men he gets side tracked.

This gives you a glimpse into the world as it falls and one of the survivors. No real action. This is more of a character study. I will be reading more so I guess that says a lot right there. I see it getting more interesting. Try it!

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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My November Halloween

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My November Halloween

by John Joseph

This was a story that I could not find my way into. Maybe it was because I could not sympathize with the character or maybe its because he simply did not interest me. This was not so much a book for me as it was an essay on the characters feelings. There was no true interaction between the reader and the narrator for me. It took me five days to read a story that should have taken me no more than two hours at most to read.

While I did not find this story particularly interesting or moving it does not mean that someone else will not. It really was not what I was expecting.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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Paradise 10k

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Paradise 10K

by Shane Gregory

This was a really good story that gave a good look into the world that they were living in. The characters while sketched lightly still had enough depth to make you smile or feel bad when something happened. I really just liked the idea of a run being used to thin the herd as it were inside the safe zone they have created. I haven’t ever read anything by this author but I would like to read something longer next time so I can get a better feel for him.

Theo has signed up to run in the Paradise 10k in the hopes that he can be one of those to make it to the island and a life of safety and leisure. The only thing that makes him different from the other 399 participants is that he has only one leg and does not want to deal with anyone. There is also something that he is hiding.

This is worth a Halloween read.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars