Review of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published: April 2001
Publisher: Puffin

ISBN: 9780141310886
Available: Amazon


GoodReads Blurb:

When Melinda Sordino's friends discover she called the police to quiet a party, they ostracize her, turning her into an outcast -- even among kids she barely knows. But even worse than the harsh conformity of high-school cliques is a secret that you have to hide.

*** this review may contain minor spoilers***

Tales of rape usually hold little appeal for me, mainly because when I read I like to escape from the harsh realities of our world. But I'd heard so much about Speak over the past year, particularly when it appeared on a list of books to ban. The reviews were glowing and it seemed as if this would be a book worth crying through.

What it was, was a bit more complicated for me. There were definite parts that moved me to tears, the beginning especially was wonderful. At first Melinda is very sympathetic. She's obviously gone through a traumatic experience and doesn't feel like she can talk to anyone about it. She acts wounded and her reactions are believable. 

Around halfway through the book, I was getting pretty tired of it. I wanted her to really show a change in her attitude and actions. I wanted her to take action. But she doesn't. It's just an endless stream of her being ignored or teased by her former friends, of her moping about how no one understands. When she finally does take some action, when her rapist moves on to a new girl, she does it in a way that is so immature that I couldn't blame the other girl for reacting with skepticism. 

There's a major emphasis on her being an artist like her father and like her art teacher believes her to be. And maybe it's poor description by the author, but the art Melinda creates sounds as if it looks like crap and it is literally made from garbage. Maybe it was supposed to be symbolic of how Melinda felt about herself, but I always felt that art made from garbage is usually garbage art, especially since Melinda doesn't really put any thought into her work, she simply does it and suddenly her teacher and another students are amazed. Makes me think of when a child's stick figure is sold for thousands of dollars. 

The end was no surprise and in fact it gave me a bad taste in my mouth. It felt convenient and too much of a happy ending. Speak started out as such a deep and realistic story, but by the end it just felt hollow. I didn't cheer for Melinda, because to me her story stopped feeling authentic. I thought this book would have been a wonderful opportunity for the author to address the need to report rape and sexual assaults, but Melinda never does that. She just adds it to the rumor mill. 


This book had so much more potential, and frankly it has put a sour taste in my mouth for other books by Anderson.

Zombie Week is Over!

Zombie week is over and yes I am having a delayed reaction! It's been five days since my last Zombie post and I'm still thinking and dreaming Zombies. Yet, despite the restless sleep I've been getting I really enjoyed it. Until I decided to go ahead with devoting that much time and energy to Zombie books, I hadn't really known what to expect from them. It was a very revealing look at my own tastes.

I've always been a romance fan, and if there's no romance in a book then there's very little chance that I'll love the book. Of course there are a few exceptions, but I didn't think the zombie genre would be any different. But it was. With the exception of Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, I didn't really care for the romance angles in the zombie stories. Zombies always have that ability to stand on complete opposite sides of the genre line. Either humorous or dark. The darker novels definitely appealed to me and hovered in the realm of realistic. Maybe that's why the romances in them drew me in. Even with Maberry's Rot & Ruin the side plot romance was interesting.


Zombies need to be Zombies, yes the idea of Zombies being more humanly functional is interesting, but it losses something the more normal they appear. Zombies are suppose to be single minded in their desire for human flesh, and reading about a zombie walking around looking normal, thinking logically and even making out with a living person, was really, well...gross, and not the good gross I want from a Zombie.

Now, the straight out funny was good as well, Ware's Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb was pure fun and although obviously written for a younger male audience it was fun and didn't try to be something it wasn't. ware recognized his subject matter, stayed within the rules of Zombies, and did it in a way that would appeal to his core audience.

There are still a few Zombie books I'm planning to read and review, but I'm glad that I'm going to be able to take my time with them. For now I'm going to enjoy watching The Walking Dead on repeat and reading something a little less blood thirsty!

Review of Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb by MJA Ware

Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb by MJA Ware
Published: September, 2011
Publisher: Self-Published

ISBN: 2940013006850
Available: Amazon


GoodReads Blurb:


When life gives you lemons, kill zombies -- turns out lemon juice neutralizes the undead.

After a failed attempt at running away, best friends Nathan and Misty return home expecting to face angry parents. Instead, they discover the military has destroyed the bridges out of their rural town and everyone's fled--except a small horde of the living dead. The stress of flesh-eating zombies may be more than their already strained relationship can handle.

Even with the help of the town geek and lemonade-powered Super-Soakers, there's not enough time to squeeze their way out of this sticky mess. Unless the trio eradicates the zombie infestation, while avoiding the deadly zombie snot, the military will blow the town, and them, to pulp.

Their only shot is something with a lot more punch. Something like the Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb. But even if their friendship survives, there's another problem: Someone has to lure the undead into the trap.

***

This book was the perfect blend of 'B movie' humor and the zombie gore I love, and I say that with all the positive feeling I can. I loved this book! The characters were fun, and refreshing. The violence was necessary, bloody, and at times funny.

Obviously this was written for slightly younger audiences than the other Zombie books I've been reading, but it's probably the one that I had the most fun reading. It definitely doesn't fit the horror genre, but Ware has hit the nail on the humorous angle of zombies.

Parts of the plot are similar to what you would expect in any zombie movie, but Ware acknowledges this and has fun doing so. The best part is that he works with what he has. These are young teens, preteens really, and they don't have access to guns or other weapons, and they certainly don't start off with mature survival instincts. Their first idea is to go to the mall. Too bad it's a strip mall. Then they head for Walmart, which is a much better idea. But even then they do some silly things, the first night the get a TV, and then set up a generator inside. His concept for lemon juice to be lethal to zombies is great. It gives his characters something to work with that doesn't seem too obvious for them, especially since they discover it by accident.

I was surprised by the ending, and had thought it would end a bit differently, with a perfect happy ending that most lighthearted children/middle grade/YA novels do, but Ware gave us a happy ending that is still sad.

Overall, an awesomely fun read, and I would definitely recommend this for ages 9 and up, particularly boys.

Review of The Spooky chronicles: The Crooked Man by Kevin Ranson

The Spooky chronicles: The Crooked Man by Kevin Ranson
Published: May 2011
Publisher: Self-Published

ISBN: 2940011333040
Available: Smashwords


GoodReads Blurb:


A child on his death bed is visited by a mysterious "crooked man" who returns him to the land of the living. Upon returning, the young boy realizes that his mother was taken in his place and that he must endure his new life as a "dead" boy.

"At the age of six, the pale little boy became ill, and although he was already small and thin, he grew smaller and thinner still. His skin turned a pallid gray, but the smile never left his face and his mother never left his side. When he turned seven, the tumor in his chest finally overtook his heart, and he died.

"It is whispered that everyone dies alone. But the pale little boy wasn’t alone when he died, and on the other side, he met a crooked man with a crooked stick who pointed at the dead little boy with a crooked finger. The dead little boy opened his eyes only to find those of his mother closed. Somehow he knew that his mother had taken his place and that the crooked man had caused it; what he didn't know was why."

***

This was an interesting one to read and review. First off, I wouldn't classify this as a typical zombie book. Spooky is a zombie in the sense that he's the walking dead, but other than that he's nothing like a zombie. He grows, speaks, thinks, and feels. And he is not consumed by the desire to feed on human flesh. This is however, a nice way to introduce younger readers to the horror genre as it really is more creepy than scary. No blood or guts, but still a darker story. 


What makes this hard to read is that the author's strength is also his weakness. Ranson does an amazing job with the narration. He has a wonderful ability to describe what is happening and Spooky is an interesting enough character to keep you ready. 


The narration is also the downfall. Or more specifically the lack of dialogue. Even when there is an opportunity to reveal more of Spooky's world, such as when he is having his tarot cards read, everything is through narration. It was a little tiring simply being told everything through Spooky, instead of hearing and seeing it. This does get better towards the end, but I wish it had been built in throughout the story. I think it would have helped me experience the story better.

Interview with Author Kevin Ranson

I'm excited to be interviewing author of The Spooky Chronicles: The Crooked Man, Kevin Ranson.

Author Bio:

Kevin A. Ranson is the creator of MovieCrypt.com as well as the “ghost writer” for the site’s host, Grim D. Reaper. He is a member of the Online Film Critics Society and has film reviews appear weekly on RottenTomatoes.com. With numerous credits in the role-playing game industry, he has also recently entered the realm of horror fiction with “The Spooky Chronicles” in addition to working on a novel for his “Kindling Moon” fantasy setting. Kevin’s current creations and personal blog are always visible on ThinkingSkull.com. 

Did you always want to be an author? 

I’ve always wanted to be a lot of things, including a writer. I remember making my own comics as a child, but I also started writing a lot of fiction for extra credit in seventh grade English class. At the same time, I’d already found my mom’s Stephen King paperback collection, so the influences were there.

Tell us a bit about your novel.

The Spooky Chronicles are about a child who comes back to life as a zombie but continues to grow up. Having already overcome personal tragedy in his life, his unique condition also makes
him aware of (and draws him into) a secret underworld he never asked to be a part of.

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

A friend and myself created the initial details and idea behind the character as a superhero
in a school that secretly trains children with unique gifts (a la Xavier’s School for the Gifted) for a role-playing game. After it concluded, I wrote a back story from the character’s point of view in a
world of the occult instead of superheroes, and that became the basis of the first book, The Crooked Man.

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

“Spooky” Spencer himself! There’s a lot of me as a child in the character, something I didn’t realize until after I went back and re-read it later just before deciding I could run with it as a book series. I envision The Spooky Chronicles as a television show, so the books run about the length of an episode in my mind.

What drew you to the YA horror genre? 

Nothing in particular. I didn’t set out to write YA or horror, it’s just the story that came out. I wasn’t
even very familiar with the term “YA” until after I began researching to market this work.

What do you hope readers will obtain from your book? 

I see Spooky as an inspiration and a bit of a role model. Bad things happen to good people, even kids, and overcoming them is part of life. Spooky had a very good, loving home life during his formative years before becoming very ill at the age of six and actually dying on his seventh birthday. He loses someone important to him while the remaining parent becomes distant afterward, but he’s a caring and resourceful young man with a very strong sense of protection for the people he cares about.

Where do you like to do your writing? 

At home, in a corner office. The walls and shelves around my desk are filled with creepy Halloween decorations I’ve collected over the years, from a Hellraiser “lament configuration” puzzle box to a glass “crystal” skull. Some of these items are sneaking their way into the Spooky Chronicles as well.

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

For YA, I’d have to say the Harry Potter books by JK Rowling, although I admit to not being terribly familiar with the peers in my genre. For non-YA, everything from Clive Barker to Stephen King to Edgar Allan Poe.

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

I recently rediscovered a Scholastic Record series that I remember listening to in kindergarten that stuck with me, with creepy titles like “Mother Ghost Nursery Rhymes” and “Georgie (the Ghost).” I’ve always found creepy to be somewhat cool.

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

I have run a movie review website for almost fifteen years called MovieCrypt.com where I critique films under the pen name Grim D. Reaper. Many of these reviews are in the horror genre, and the work helped to improve my writing as well as establish a narrative voice that I have used to write fiction with.

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

Other than the Spooky Chronicles and MovieCrypt.com, I have been working on a fantasy novel called Kindling Moon for a while as well as other stories in publications that include Savage Insider
magazine (“Crypt of the Crystal Lich” serial) and have flash fiction included in the recently published 66 Tales of Terror.

The Spooky Chronicles official site: http://spookychronicles.com

Where can you find Kevin Ranson?

Personal Blog: http://thinkingskull.com
Film Critique: http://moviecrypt.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kevinaranson
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ThinkingSkullCreations
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5658754-kevin-ranson
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/KevinARanson

Thank you, Kevin, for stopping by. Look for my review of The Spooky Chronicles: The Crooked Man later today!