Dead, Undead, Or Somewhere In Between (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
This is one of those books where you come into it with certain expectations of an original or clever premise but turns out the author was just yanking your chain. When I read about a necromancer protagonist, I was thinking an anti-hero type of thing with a badass evil girl summoning the dead to get things done... Boy was I disappointed, it's a glorified psychic. They just get called necromancers because calling her a psychic would be too boring and overused. She has a few bells and whistles attached, but it most certainly isn't any sort of necromancer I've heard about. Yes she can raise the dead, but from the start of the book they make it damn clear she has no intention of ever actually doing it or anything else that a proper necromancer would do. The entire story is a cash grab for the twilight/true blood audiences. It's a detective story with goodly vampires and psychics, that's what it comes down to. “Dead, undead or somewhere in between”, is a new twist in Urban Fantasy. This unique book turns everything on its head- as now the vampires are the prey. Someone or something, Is killing vampires and tearing out their hearts.Rhianon is a brassy necromancer with attitude and doesn’t care who knows it. But underneath, she has a heart of gold. Her outward appearance is of a wise-cracker, but it only hides a very complex character.Rhianon really develops through out the book and that makes her seem very real and life-like.Disco, the master vampire, hires Rhianon to find out what is happening to his brethren-teaming up with another necromancer, the adventure starts to heat up.“Dead, undead or somewhere in between” is a wonderfully written Urban Fantasy with plenty of sarcasm and humour. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. It is a must read for all paranormal/supernatural, uf fans.Leave a comment Leave a commentBook Review: The Secrets of life and death by Rebecca Alexander Posted on August 27, 2014 | EditThe secrets of life and death by Rebecca Alexander“A stunning tale of occultism and magic across the ages.Krakow, 1585Summoned by the King of Poland to help save his dying niece, Edward Kelley and his master, alchemist and scholar Dr John Dee, discover a dark secret at the heart of The Countess Bathory’s malady.But perhaps the cure will prove more terrifying than the alternative…England, 2013Jackdaw Hammond lives in the shadows, a practitioner and purveyor of occult materials. But when she learns of a young woman found dead on a train, her body covered in arcane symbols, there’s no escaping the attention of police consultant Felix Guichard.Together they must solve a mystery centuries in the making, or die trying…”****The secrets of life and death is a dual aspect novel blending modern day and Elizabethan London. Famous alleged sorcerer and Queen’s alchemist, John Dee, features in Elizabethan story arc, in a role of a detective. I loved the blend of the history of the real John Dee with his fantasy version and all of the historical details.Both stories are action packed and inter-linked, making the Secrets of life and death a very engrossing novel.Alternating chapters between the time eras, just add to the excitement as both stories build up in tandem to a climax.I finished this book wanting more. I am eagerly awaiting news to see if this will be a series, but I do know it would make a fantastic film.Leave a comment Leave a commentBook Review: Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes Posted on August 27, 2014 | EditBroken Monsters by Lauren Beukes“In the city that’s become a symbol for the death of the American dream, a nightmare killer is unravelling reality. The new thriller from Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls.Detective Gabi Versado has hunted down many monsters during her eight years in Homicide. She’s seen stupidity, corruption and just plain badness. But she’s never seen anything like this.Clayton Broom is a failed artist, and a broken man. Life destroyed his plans, so he’s found new dreams – of flesh and bone made disturbingly, beautifully real.Detroit is the decaying corpse of the American Dream. Motor-city. Murder-city. And home to a killer opening doors into the dark heart of humanity.A killer who wants to make you whole again…”****Broken monsters just has to be read to be believed. It is a multi-layered novel with various plot line threads- that all weave together to deliver a macabre supernatural thriller.Set in the same urban decay as “The Shinning girls”; Lauren Beukes does it again and delivers a jaw dropping novel.Her ingenious writing style is vivid, and can often lead to feelings of discomfort, as she lays out the nasty side of life; Never afraid to pull punches or show the rotten underbelly of humanity.Broken Monsters is a dark tale of the hidden ugliness of humanity and existence and that is why it is a page turner of epic proportions.Leave a comment Leave a commentBook Review: Fairy by Shane McKenzie Posted on August 18, 2014 | EditFairy by Shane McKenzie“Cecilia will do anything to have a baby. Anything.Cecilia has tried everything to have the one thing she wants most—a baby. She’s been through every procedure, taken every medication. Nothing seems to work. Her body simply refuses to grow the life she so desperately yearns for. Her jealousy is making her lash out at the pregnant women around her. She’s starting to worry about her sanity.But all is not lost. There is still one way. And Cecilia will do whatever it takes.Even if it means inviting an ancient creature into her bedroom.”****Cecilia is a desperate Midwife who would do anything for a baby of her own. Everyday is tormented by having to deliver other people’s babies, while knowing she will never feel life kick from inside her. To make matters worse, her husband Frank has left her some time ago and is left with the lonely option of IV treatment from a donor.Her desperation quickly unhinged her and she tries to summon a Fairy to impregnate her.This novella was truly macabre, and is definitely shows that Fairies aren’t the Tinkerbell like things you think they are. It is a very dark tale with a twist in the end you will not see coming.Leave a comment Leave a commentPosted on August 18, 2014 | EditConduits by Jennifer LoringOut September 16th, 2014- Pre-order available“Mara is a Japanese-American girl with a history of personal tragedy. Though she still cuts herself to quell the pain, she thought the worst was behind her. But her boyfriend’s sudden death, and a visit to one of the most haunted places in Washington State, sends her into a spiral of madness, landing her in a psychiatric ward.Already suffering from dreams of a strange, ghost-infested house in the woods, Mara begins to question the very existence of reality. She is forced to confront the truth about her older sister’s death and the reason the ghosts have chosen her as their conduit.“An evocative journey into the darkest realms of a troubled psyche. Part ghost story, part psychological suspense, Conduits is an astonishing debut from a bold new voice in horror. Don’t miss it!” —Tim Waggoner, author of The Way of all Flesh “****Confused and disconnected from reality- Mara isn’t sure of what is real any more. Like Alice going down the rabbit hole –Mara finds her own personal hell.This psychological horror, with a supernatural twist, is often thought- provoking. It shows you that reality is all about perceptions and how easy it is to slip out of reality.Conduits is full of Japanese symbolism, and that makes this novella unique. It has an atmosphere that is surreal, with nightmarish qualities. Conduits is that something different that will stay with you for a long time afterwards.Leave a comment Leave a commentBook Review: Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Thomas Sweterlitsch Posted on August 14, 2014 | EditIt is ten years since the attack that reduced Pittsburgh to ashes. Today all that remains is the Archive: an interactive digital record of the city and its people.John Dominic Blaxton is a survivor, one of the ‘lucky ones’ who escaped the blast. Crippled by the loss of his wife and unborn daughter, he spends his days immersed in the Archive with the ghosts of yesterday.It is there he finds the digital record of a body: a woman, lying face down, half buried in mud. Who is she … and why is someone hacking into the system and deleting the record of her seemingly unremarkable life? This question will drag Dominic from the darkest corners of the past into a deadly and very present nightmare.About the AuthorThomas Sweterlitsch has a Master’s Degree in Literary and Cultural Theory from Carnegie Mellon. For the last twelve years he has been a Reader Advisor with the Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and daughter. Tomorrow and Tomorrow is his first novel. “Tomorrow and Tomorrow” is a unique novel that blends cyberpunk, dystopia, and crime noir into one inter laced story.The future sci-fi aspect of the story is rather bleak. People are hard-wired with ad-ware; constantly being bombarded with advertising, porn and violence. I think it may even be an allegory for today’s world; where one single tragedy could be filmed by dozens and posted on the internet within seconds without a pause for thought or empathy.The main character John, is addicted to drugs and virtual memories of his dead wife. While working for the archive in a post apocalyptic Pittsburgh, he discovers a mystery. His job is to investigate the deaths of those who perished in the event- on a routine investigation he discovers a woman’s death with a missing data- data that had been deleted. Slowly he uncovers why.“Tomorrow and Tomorrow” is an ambitious debt with a lot going on. Unfortunately at times I felt lost with all the dizzying events. With that being said, I did enjoy it and I can see how it compares to William Gibson’s Neromancer and Philip K. Dicks’s Minority report.Thomas Sweterlitsch created a future world that is so bleak and shallow, that is frightening to think that if we continue with things- that could be our future. It is a thought-provoking novel and a must read for future sci-fi fans.1 Comment 1 CommentBook Review: A beautiful madness by Lee Thompson Posted on August 14, 2014 | EditA beautiful madness by Lee Thompson“A Texas Senator and his wife go missing…On the same day, their son is slaughtered by an enigmatic killer on the lawn of ex-Governor Edward Wood’s residence. Sammy, Wood’s drug dealing son, suspects his father of the crime. After all, his old man snapped once before and crippled his wife with a lead pipe. But there’s something more to these events…something deeper and festering just beneath the surface…In direct opposition to Homicide Detective Jim Thompson, Sammy begins an investigation of his own, searching for the truth in a labyrinth of lies, deception, depravity and violence that drags him deeper into darkness and mayhem with each step. And in doing so, brings them all into the sights of an elusive and horrifying killer who may not be what he seems.A brutal killer on a rampage of carnage…a hardened detective on the brink…an antihero from the shadows…a terrifying mystery that could destroy them all…A Beautiful Madness, the harrowing new novel of dark crime and suspense from Lee Thompson. ““A Beautiful madness” is a compelling crime thriller novel by DarkFuse. It is a multi-layered tale with inter connecting stories – that all come together brilliantly. It is exceptionally written with vivid details and edgy dialogue.Lee Thompson creates a gritty noir mystery with three dimensional characters that will keep you hooked until the end. The interjection of horror with a crime thriller, makes “A Beautiful madness” an unforgettable novel and a must read.
What do You think about Dead, Undead, Or Somewhere In Between (2011)?
I should read this. It seems really interesting but... Disco? srsly?.. i don't know...
—fulton
Great premise - but the h proves unlikable, and the author fails to deliver.
—tatac
Disco? REALLY?? *goes off to die of laughter in a corner somewhere*
—berry25241
