Feb 2023

Book Review: “Backlash” by S. A. Hoag

24th Feb 2023Leave a comment

S. A. Hoag’s Backlash is my eighth read of the year.

I wanted to review the works of other indie authors, and Hoag is the first. Backlash follows three characters after a great war has devastated the land. They volunteer to protect the last vestiges of humanity from the new world’s dangers. These three share eerie psychic abilities because they are genetically enhanced.

The setting is fascinating. As a horror and sci-fi nerd, apocalyptic tales always pique my interest. (After all, Fallout is one of my favourite video games.) Yet, Hoag wastes no time or energy on long-winded expositions and infodumps. Instead, she places the reader in the middle of the characters and trusts you are smart enough to figure it out.

The story moves at a breakneck pace, and Hoag keeps descriptions bare bones. This approach lets the story race past, uncluttered and streamlined. I’ve read short stories a tenth of Backlash‘s length that took me longer—I devoured it in two days.

Give Hoag’s work a shot; it won’t disappoint.

Book Review: “Grave Predictions”

20th Feb 2023Leave a comment

Grave Predictions was my seventh read of 2023.

I picked up Grave Predictions because it contained Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream.” I’d always wanted to check out this short story but could never find it anywhere—and I didn’t want to pirate it. Then, after a chat with friends about disturbing ideas—such as Roko’s basilisk—Ellison came up. Thus, I decided I needed to read it and find a copy.

The collection as a whole stands as a bit hit-and-miss. “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”—the reason I got it in the first place—was excellent, as expected. As were several other stories, such as King’s “The End of the Whole Mess”. I also enjoyed the early pieces from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The progression through the decades was a nice touch. But a few parts did not work for me.

It’s worth the price of admission for some of the more standout stories. Of course, some are weaker than others. But the high moments make it all worthwhile. And that closing story is breathtaking.

Please give it a go, but don’t be afraid to pass on the stories that aren’t working for you.

Book Review: “The Drift” by C.J. Tudor

13th Feb 2023Leave a comment

I picked up C.J. Tudor’s The Drift for my sixth read of the year.

I’d heard of Tudor before and had seen The Chalk Man getting positive reviews. So when I saw The Drift’s stunning cover in my local Tyrolia, I had to pick it up. Whoever said don’t judge a book by its cover?

Three thriller stories twist around each other, happening at the same time. Oh, and there’s a zombie-ish apocalypse going on, as well. A coachload of students crashes, leaving the survivors trapped inside. A cable car breaks down, stranding the strangers onboard with a dead body. Friends, locked in a snowed-in chalet, are soon at each other’s throats.

The Drift is a mix of murder mystery, suspense thriller, and apocalyptic horror. So it’s hard to pinpoint what genre The Drift is, but there’s one thing for sure: it’s bloody brilliant.

If any—or all—those listed genres appeal to you, then I urge you to pick up a copy of The Drift. It had so many twists I could not predict where it headed.

I’d say it’s damn near flawless, and I look forward to delving into Tudor’s back catalogue.

Book Review: “A Prayer for the Crown-Shy” by Becky Chambers

1st Feb 2023Leave a comment

Becky Chambers’s A Prayer for the Crown-Shy was my fifth read of the year.

The first Monk and Robot book—A Psalm for the Wild-Built—was excellent. But A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is perfect. The post–semi-apocalypse and post–robot uprising story follows two loveable characters. Sibling Dex, a tea monk, and Mosscap, a robot who wishes to know what people need, go on a road trip.

This book has it all. A hilarious moment between two post-coital humans and a curious but innocent robot. A heartwrenching funeral for a fish from a robot that avoids violence. A magical moment where the robot first meets a human child, and said human child first meets a robot.

Reading this book felt like a cuddle from my wife for the mind.