Review of Soulless by Christopher Golden

Soulless by Christopher Golden
Published: October 2008
Publisher: MTV

ISBN: 9781416551355
Available: Amazon


Amazon Blurb:
Times Square, New York City. The first ever mass seance is broadcasting live on the Sunrise morning show. If it works, the spirits of the departed on the other side will have a brief window—just a few minutes—to send a final message to their grieving loved ones.

Clasping hands in an impenetrable grip, three mediums call to their spirit guides as the audience looks on in breathless anticipation. The mediums slump over, slackjawed—catatonic. And in cemeteries surrounding Manhattan, fragments of old corpses dig themselves out of the ground....

The spirits have returned. The dead are walking. They will seek out those who loved them in life, those they left behind...but they are savage and they are hungry. The horror spreads quickly, droves of the ravenous dead seeking out the living—shredding flesh from bone, feeding . But a disparate group of unlikely heroes—two headstrong college rivals, a troubled gang member, a teenage pop star and her bodyguard—is making its way to the center of the nightmare, fighting to protect their loved ones, fighting for their lives, and fighting to end the madness.

**

When I first saw this on a library Zombie list, I was sure it had been mislabeled simply because the title didn't bring Zombies to mind. The blurb is what did it for me. Golden seemed to have a truly unique concept as to the origins of the Zombies.The idea of Zombies being brought back by a seance only made this even creepier for me, solidifying my absolute certainty that I will never be involved in any seance or use a Ouija board.

These Zombies truly are an uprising, brought back to speak to their living relatives, to gain closure, but their bodies are empty, and their pure souls gone for good. At first they seem pretty typical, simply saying things like "I'm so empty" or "Hungry". It after the Zombies have been around a bit longer that they turn from hungry to vicious. Their spirits hunger to see those familiar to them, and they seek out their loved ones, and it's this same awareness that allows them to remember details of relationships and try to use that to gain access to the flesh their bodies crave. One of the saddest scenes is where a father dies and rises as a zombie, trying to trick his daughter into letting him in and when she does he starts berating her for the choices she made in life.

The violence in this story isn't overwhelming, but Golden also doesn't water it down for us. We get what we need to in order to understand the horror of what they are seeing. There are moments where the state of the Zombies and what they are doing is important to the story and he goes with it, giving us the blood and gore that Zombies bring with them. At others, he keeps it simple and focuses on the emotional ride the characters are on. It's a wonderful balance.

The only aspect of the novel that I didn't like was the constant changes in point of view. I didn't mind the different groups of people, but there were so many main characters it was hard to connect with some of them, in fact with the characters Nate and Matt, I kept having to go back to where they were first introduced in order to figure out who was who. I would have preferred if Golden had picked one character from each group to focus on.

Zombie Week Begins!!

Starting this afternoon, and continuing until the evening of Oct 16th, I will be reviewing YA Zombie novels and even have interviews with a couple of YA Zombie Authors!

Zombie week came to me when a fellow author emailed me about reviewing his new novel for his blog tour in October while I was watching a preview for Season 2 of The Walking Dead. It seemed like the perfect idea to devote a week to Zombies. I now wish I'd gone with Zombie month! It took me a bit of time to find YA Zombie novels, as the vocabulary used to describe Zombies is vast (Zombies, walking dead, undead, risen dead, unconsecrated, dead risen, reanimated, soulless). It was almost as if authors were worried that using the Z-word would deter readers. Once I figured out some of the code used, I ended up with a huge pile of books to read!   

Since I started reading Zombie novels about a month ago, I've found it to be really interesting and I have to say that some of the more popular and commercially pushed books were my least favorite. The stronger stories tended to be from the smaller publishers. This really had me wondering if this tend is because the bigger publishing houses are simply more hesitant to publish the darker, or more gory books due to their belief in what the YA readers wants, or if I am entirely out of touch with teens and Zombies! That idea makes me sad. Horror can be such a fun genre in movies and as I've discovered in books. Until Zombie week, I'd never thought reading horror would be as good as watching a scary movie, but there have been a few gems within the pile and they definitely made wading through the crap to find them!

Here is the schedule for Zombie Week:

Saturday, October 8: Review of Soulless by Christopher Golden
Sunday, October 9: Review of Never Slow Dance with a Zombie by E. Van Lowe
Monday, October 10: Review of I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It by Adam Selzer
Tuesday, October 11:Review of Zombie Blondes by Brian James
Wednesday, October 12: Interview with Nuayma Jeggels, Author of Raven
                                      : Zombie books I passed or gave up on, and a list of ones I plan to read
Thursday, October 13: Review of Carrie Ryan's Forest of Hands and Teeth Series

Friday, October 14: Review of Rot and Ruin by Jonathon Maberry
Saturday, October 15: Interview with Kevin A. Ranson, author of The Spooky Chronicles and a review of the first two books in the series.
Sunday, October 16: Review of Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb by M.J.A. Ware


I'd also like to thank M.J.A. Ware for the initial inspiration for Zombie week!

Review of I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Published: August 2010
Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 9780061969553
Available: Amazon


GoodReads Blurb:


In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now.

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

I Am Number Four is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth. 


***


So, this was an interesting one to review. I probably never would have picked it up if it hadn't been for the movie. When I did finally, I went for the audio book. Well, that was just a plain disaster (see my post titled Audio Hell). Since I've had the pleasure (and suffering) of watching, listening and reading this book, I figured I would review all three.


The movie:
I think the casting directors made an excellent choice in casting Alex Pettyfer. Not that he's am amazing actor, but he's definitely not hard to look at :) I also think that in order to appeal to a larger teen audience they had to made him a bit older. Having a main character of fifteen is much less appealing to teen viewers than one of seventeen or eighteen. The effects were good and they kept the story moving at a clear and quick pace. Things move a bit faster than in the book, but the story doesn't feel lacking with parts of the book missing. The Mogadorians also look much cooler than they sound in the book, and I love the way the movie shows how they are able to conceal themselves within the human population.



The audio book: 
Avoid this at all costs! It was absolutely dreadful. I've only listened to one other audio book, but if they are all like this one I don't think I'll ever like them. The narrator sounded like a middle-aged man and when it came time for the female characters to speak, it was the same middle-aged man suddenly trying to sound like a fifteen-year-old girl. The voices continued to go down hill from there and it didn't help matters that the narrator sounded like he was reading the book for the first time, pausing in the wrong spots, weird intonation. I made it to chapter seven before I couldn't handle any more, and I almost didn't go for the print version. 

The book: 
This was much better than I thought it would be after suffering through part of the audio book. There were certain elements in the book that I liked much better than the movie, such as Henri having an accent. In the movie there wouldn't have been a natural way of explaining why he portrayed himself as French, but in the book we get the background. That is really what made me like the book and movie equally. The book's pace was a bit too slow for me, while the movie missed some of the depth in the world building.


My recommendation would be to read the book, then see the movie and don't even bother with the audio book.

Interview with YA Christian Author Mary C. Findley

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing half of the writing team behind Hope and the Knight of the Black Lion Mary C. Findley.


Author Bio:

I grew up in rural NY and Michael is from AZ. We met at college, taught school in AZ, MO and PA, homeschooled, and created videos for church and commercial productions and curriculum for church and school. We have three 20-something children, and now travel the 48 states together in a tractor trailer. 

Did both of you always want to be authors?

I started out wanting to be an artist, but my pictures always had stories behind them, and by Junior High I had switched over to writing. Michael says he went through many plans for occupations while young, one of which was to be an author. We both believe God has given us messages to communicate for the Glory of God and the edification of believers.

What is it like writing as a team?

Sometimes we argue over what needs to be done, such as priorities and projects. Sometimes we disagree on how to do it. But in the end, we find that our abilities and skills are complementary. I was an editor and proofreader, and am an artist and "creative" person. He is the facts and accuracy person, the organized thinker and "corrector." And we both want to produce a finished product that serves the Lord. This particular book is my work for the most part, but Michael has a Masters in Church History, so he had input into making the setting and historical references accurate.

Tell us a bit about your novel

Seventeen-year-old Hope rebels against her family's arranged marriage plans and her uncle's strange beliefs in Medieval England. She must fight sexual temptation and put her trust in a mysterious returned Crusader and his Arab friend when her home is attacked and her family kidnapped. A cryptic diary and a relentless enemy keep Hope off-balance but growing in reliance on God and her true knight.

How did you come up with the idea for your novel?

I love Thomas Costain's The Black Rose, Scott's Ivanhoe, and other books about that time period. I wanted to write about the Crusades and life in medieval England, but with a strong message about true belief and learning obedience to your family.

If you got the chance to spend a day with any character from your books, who would it be and why?

Sadaquah (an Arab companion to the returned Crusader in the book) still fascinates me. I am thinking about writing more about him, about his life in Egypt, and how he would adjust to remaining in England.

What drew you to the YA genre?

I write for all ages, but this story attracted me because I wanted to deal with teen rebellion, how we often don't appreciate our families, and what happens if they are taken from us. I also wanted to explore how to handle sexual temptation and the influence right teaching can have on making right decisions even in a crisis. 

How does Christianity factor into your books, if at all?

Christianity is a key factor. Hope's uncle is patterned after early reformers and seeks to teach Hope truth from the Scriptures in an era when the Church controlled life and belief but didn't offer true "hope."

What do you hope readers will obtain from your book?

I want to support family teaching, obedience, paying attention to Scriptural truth and wise counsel so you have the tools to make the right decisions, trust the right people, when difficult times come.

Where do you like to do your writing?

Curled up in bed, or, when I was growing up, in the branches of a big old pine tree about a half mile from our house.

What are some of your favorite YA books or authors? Non-YA?

There is a book called "Shadow Castle" that I read in Junior High, a fantasy about a young fairy prince and his life. I loved that book. I think of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit books as geared toward YA, and I liked them. Jane Austen and Charles Dickens are my favorite authors. I wish there were more and better Christian books for the YA age group. 

Are there any books and stories that have influenced or stuck with you from your childhood or young-adulthood?

The works mentioned above, plus Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, a long allegorical poem I studied in college that inspired Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Bunyan and other Christian fantasy/allegory writers.

Do you have any other works published and how do they compare genre/style wise with your current work?

We have 8 titles published, two of which have illustrated versions. 2 are non-fiction, Biblical Studies a compilation of Bible study materials and Antidisestablishmentarianism, a 630-page work about Secular Humanism and its history and effects on culture and true Science. Michael has a Sci-Fi book, the Space Empire Saga. I have one children's book, Benny and the Bank Robber, the beginning of a pioneer Americana series, and three adult romances. I tend to write about similar subjects in fiction no matter what the genre. Family or male-female relationships, putting the protagonist through a devastating physical hardship that forces him to rely on God and the help of others, the need to grow in Christ and to overcome temptation and trust in God no matter what.

Do you have any current writing projects? Can you tell us a bit about them?  

We are writing homeschool curriculum, making a revision/expansion of the Biblical Studies book. We also started a blog recently, dealing with Secular Humanism, Science, History Christian womanhood, and writing. I have some fiction projects I work on from time to time, sequels to Benny and the Bank Robber, a story inspired by the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but dealing with distinctively Christian characters from the books of Alcott, Kipling, Dickens, Stevenson and Doyle. I especially want to do a graphic novel fantasy/allegory dealing with persecution and the need to protect and share the Word of God.

Where can you find Mary C. Findley?

Blog

Smashwords

Findley Family Video Facebook Page

Website 

Amazon Author Page

Second Amazon Author Page

Here is a sample page from the "illuminated" version of Hope and the Knight of the Black Lion Mary C. Findley:

Review of All You Get is Me by Yvonne Prinz

All You Get is Me by Yvonne Prinz
Published: December 2010
Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 9780061715808
Available: Amazon 

GoodReads Blurb:

Things were complicated enough for Roar, even before her father decided to yank her out of the city and go organic. Suddenly, she’s a farm girl, albeit a reluctant one, selling figs at the farmers’ market and developing her photographs in a ramshackle shed. Caught between a troublemaking sidekick named Storm, a brooding, easy-on-the-eyes L.A. boy, and a father on a human rights crusade that challenges the fabric of the farm community, Roar is going to have to tackle it all—even with dirt under her fingernails and her hair pulled back with a rubber band meant for asparagus.

***
This was one of those random books I picked up. There wasn't anything that particularly inspired me to read it beyond the fact that it was a new release for the library. The cover was nice, but no wow factor for me. Even the blurb was just okay. Despite this I was willing to read, mainly because I needed a break from all of the paranormal and zombie books I've been reading lately.

In All You Get is Me, Prinz attempts to tackle some serious social issues and manages to do so without coming off as preachy. Illegal immigration is a touchy point with me as I am an immigrant myself. But I didn't feel like she was trying to promote illegal immigration, just make the reader aware of how those people are viewed by some. 

Prinz also has a great way of bringing a setting to life. This works wonderfully some of the time, and in fact the first few chapters really held my attention, so much so that I stayed up until midnight on a work night reading. After the opening chapters though it became a bit too much. I lost interest and began skimming. I don't like skimming books, mainly because it's too easy to miss conflict and then you end up confused and just need to go back and read it anyways. Not the case here. There was so little conflict that I could have skipped over multiple chapters and not gotten lost.

Roar's relationship with her father feels the most realistic and important. Even though many of their conversations are only described, it's easy to see the resentment roar feels for him and how he has absolutely no idea how to interact with his teenage daughter. When she discovers he's been hiding information about her mother from her, I was disappointed that there wasn't more anger and hurt from Roar or more regret and sorrow from her father. He talked about still loving her mom and it was evident that he was grieving about that, but his actions made me think he was trying to protect Roar. Yet he didn't seem to grieve the fact that his daughter was suffering from a second abandonment from her mother. 

The romance between Forest and Roar was just blah. There was no spark there, and although Forest started out a bit mysterious, he was just a basic, nice, overly perfect boyfriend. There was no drama between them, even when he finds out that she's been hiding the fact that her dad is filing a lawsuit against his mom. The ending was too girly. He's been recording the process of falling in love with her since before they even spoke and now he wants her to read it? but wait, even better is the fact that he'll wait a year and he'll come and work on her family farm the next summer to be with her? Gag. 


There was also an over abundance of secondary characters. Characters that kept popping up and have long, boring interactions with Roar, yet never lead anywhere. Her best friend Storme is only there to constantly bring up Roar's "extra-virgin" status, Steve provides a bit of eye candy that we never get to see, and there are so many others that popped up that I can't even keep their names straight. It was all just filler. The hardcover comes in at 288 pages and could easily have been closer to 200. 


Perhaps the most annoying thing about the book was the names. Roar (Aurora), Forest, Storme? Really? It just screams trying to hard.


Wouldn't bother reading this one again, and I'm doubtful that I'll pick up any thing else from this author.