LOST WORLD by Kate L Mary

4.2 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Book 4 in the Broken World series ~ a bit better than 4 stars but not quite 4.5!

So many of the reviews for this series say that Kate Mary has borrowed much from The Walking Dead that I won't point out all the similarities; I thought at first that we had a guest appearance of Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones, too, aka Brady, the educated, articulate dwarf who can beat a man twice his size with verbal arrows, but he didn't turn out to be him after all, about which I was pleased!  But is Hope Springs as sinister as whatever-The-Governor's-community-was-called?  We will have to wait until Book 5 to find out!

Something the less positive reviews have failed to point out, though, is that there is a hell of a lot in this series that isn't TWD.  Daryl Dixon might be Ms Mary's ideal, but Axl in the Broken World series is very much his own man.  There are plenty of characters and situations that are the author's own invention, and very good they are too.  The love stuff isn't over the top in any of the books and the (very occasional) sexy bits aren't smut-for-the-sake-of-it, they're just real.  These books are not about zombies, they're about people.  And people fall in love, get jealous, feel insecure, argue - and do sex.  Vivian and Axl's relationship is too believable, too down to earth, for a moonlit kiss fading to asterisks!

 It never isn't a good time for a picture of Daryl Dixon...

 

I was disappointed not to have chapters from Axl's POV in this one, as in Book 3, but Hadley's story was a good diversion from the main one, and her 'voice' very different from Vivian's.  I enjoyed this book very much, and the scene at the end when we nearly lost a main character is terrific, so well done, the best I've read in these books so far.  The dialogue is great, the characters clear and easily identifiable, all the way through.

The Broken World series is not great literature, it's popular, easy read fiction, but that requires as much storytelling talent as any other sort, and Kate Mary has this in spades.  

Recommended for any fellow lovers of this genre, and I can't wait to read New World when it comes out in the summer!

Book 1, Broken World is reviewed HERE, with links to my reviews of books 2 & 3

Id by P. Craig

3.5 out of 5 stars

Psychological thriller

On Amazon UK HERE

This is a good idea, and an unusual structure that I have read before and liked (and, indeed, have written myself). It's an ingenious psychological study of a killer, with the story unravelling backwards; you can actually read it the other way round!   The book is only just novel length, being 51K words long (under 50K is a novella).

Id is very well written and I kept reading even when it dragged slightly, because I needed to see what happened. I was impressed by the use of language and the insight into the subject; the beginning really gripped me. For me, it was a bit long on description of inner turmoil and short on actual events, though this is only a personal preference; this guy can certainly write. A bit more variation would have made it a real winner, I think, and much more commercial, though you can only write the book you want to write, of course!  I'd still recommend it for those who like this genre. Yes, it's gory in places, but the blurb clearly warns of this - if you're put off by gore (I'm not), then perhaps it's not for you.  I only say this because one review complained about it - duh!!!

RISE OF THE ENEMY by Rob Sinclair

4 out of 5 stars

Espionage thriller

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this at first, as espionage thrillers are not a usual reading choice for me, but I liked the cover!  I didn't realise it was a sequel when I first began to read it, but the necessary backstory is provided artfully, in an unobtrusive way, and it works fine as a stand alone.

Carl Logan is an agent working for the JIA, the Joint Intelligence Agency, which employs both US and UK agents.  Rise of The Enemy is based around his capture and escape from the Russians and his realisation that he cannot trust his own people, either.

I wasn't grabbed by the story until it got to the 'three months later' bit of Chapter 4, when, for me, it went up by about ten notches and I became totally absorbed, looking forward to getting back to it when I had to put it down.  The structure of the part in Siberia in which Carl Logan escapes from his Russian captors is one I like: chapters alternating between the present, and flashbacks of an ongoing story that leads up to that present.  I loved reading about Siberia, too; it's clearly been well researched.

The book is very professionally presented, which is always a big plus for me; I don't think I found one proofreading or editing error, which is practically unheard of in a Kindle book, even for the traditionally published.   I read in the Q & A with Rob Sinclair in the back that he loves spy thriller books, films and TV series, and it shows; he's obviously very au fait with the genre, and thus there are a few clichés to be found in this story, but not too many.  

My only problem with this book is that, despite it being extremely well written as a drama, it stopped being so thrilling at around 60%, after which the suspense only made me think 'hmm' instead of 'oh my God, WHAT is going to happen NEXT?'  You know those bits in programmes like 24, when Jack Bauer overcomes four enemies against all odds, in a seemingly hopeless situation?  Carl Logan does this sort of thing, too, but it's all a bit laboured.  Sinclair has painstakingly described every action, down to which hand he jerked into which arm, in such a way that it's just an account, a sequence of events, and not action packed.  Some bits that should have been in-your-face thrilling were actually quite boring; if I had not been reading the book to review I would have skipped them, and just gone to the end of the section to find out who was still alive.  The beginning of the book is written in a very dramatic way.  A suspenseful way.  With short sentences.  To add impact and drama.  And it works, but doesn't carry on throughout the book.  My interest in the plot tailed off towards the end.

To sum up:  A bit less detail, a bit less repetition, a bit more punch, and this book would be excellent.  If this is your favourite genre, I'd definitely recommend it because it's intelligently written, feasible and well thought out.  I suspect, too, that Rob Sinclair's writing will develop positively the more he writes; the talent is obviously there.

FUTURE PERFECT (Blueprint Trilogy book 1) by Katrina Mountfort

5 GOLD STARS

Sci-Fi post-apocalyptic drama

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Reviewed by me as part of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team

I LOVED this book!  Read it over a period of 24 hours, hated having to put it down.

The story takes place in year 2181.  120 years after various events that devastated the world as we know it, the chosen people of 'State 11', formerly the UK, reside in 'Citidomes', in which their lives are easy, comfortable - and controlled.  Residents live not in families or couples but with their selected 'resmates', and aspire to join the BodyPerfect clan: women who look like anorexic supermodels, men so metrosexual they are no longer masculine.  Televisual entertainment has returned to the age of baying crowds and gladiators with non-stop reality shows in which those not conforming to Citidome standards are cruelly mocked.  Bodily 'imperfections' are considered a sign of inferiority, emotion is discouraged; residents have 'connections' rather than friends.  There is no religion, no creativity, no literature, and sex is outlawed, seen as dirty.  Children are created by artificial means only.  Details of the country's history is available from the 'Knowledge Fountain', but there is little information available about life before the Citidomes.  However, underneath all this shallow perfection and unquestioning conformity there is a rumbling of discontent; the 'subversive thinkers' want to discover the truth, and find out if life on the outside is really as savage as they are told...

I suppose this is the modern '1984'!  Aside from being entertaining, it all seemed frighteningly possible, especially when I found out, later, what really happened to the UK back in 2065.  I'm very interested in the way the population can be controlled by those in power, in ways more underhand and seemingly innocuous than many imagine (who needs Big Brother when you have the internet?), and how quickly what once seemed to be a ludicrous idea can very quickly become accepted as the norm.  This book is a brilliant portrayal of subtle mind control.

Of course, a great story is only as good as the way it's told, and this is SO well written, the superficial atmosphere and hidden horror of life in State 11 Citidomes told so artfully.  Once the book moves outside (to what was Derbyshire), I loved reading Ms Mountfort's vision of a country left to its own devices for over a hundred years, and how her Citidome residents discovered the old, forgotten ways of their ancestors.

Although the main character, Caia, is only seventeen, I didn't realise the book came under the heading 'YA' until I came to write the review; there's certainly plenty to think about in it that I perhaps wouldn't have seen if I'd read it when I was sixteen!  

A terrific novel, I'm so glad it came my way and, Katrina Mountfort, this is me hassling you for the next one in the series NOW!

FORBIDDEN ALLIANCE by Katrina Mountfort reviewed HERE 

 

SURVIVING THE EVACUATION Book 4: Unsafe Haven

5 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse

On Amazon UK HERE 
On Amazon.com HERE

Now, that's more like it!  I loved this fourth episode in Frank Tayell's post apocalyptic world as much as the first one.   In Unsafe Haven the story goes back to the beginning and a completely new set of characters - single mother Nilda, her thirteen year old son, Jay, and her neighbour Sebastian.  To say any more would be to give the plot away, but suffice to say it's every bit as gripping as the original story about Bill.  

We follow Nilda through her ideas and plans for survival and trying to get a community together, through the inevitable realisation of the hopelessness of it all, and her pain as she loses people.  During this story we also get glimpses of another character, Chester.... and find out the identity of Sam, the man Bill was signalling from his window and who he thought had left him alone.  

If you enjoy stories of survival against all odds as much as I do, you'll really like this, too, and I love the way all the stories and characters begin to tie up, all the individuals from the four books coming together.  There are also a few thought provoking moments, about the nature of mankind and the question: is it just time for the species to end, and are all the survivors just clinging on to a metaphorical fast sinking ship?  Can't wait to read book five!

Only one tiny annoyance: English people using American speak.  For instance, saying they're operating 'out of' Anglesey, instead of 'from', and a middle-aged monk talking about being 'tasked' to do things.  Made my pedantic side go grrr, but I suppose doesn't really matter that much - this makes no pretence at being great literature!

Book 1: London reviewed HERE 

Book 2: Wasteland reviewed HERE 

Book 3: Family reviewed HERE

SURVIVING THE EVACUATION Book 3: Family by Frank Tayell

4 out of 5 stars

Zombie apocalypse

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

.... and so it continues.  Episode three sees the removal of those who had double-crossed Bill and Kim, and the reunion with those for whom they'd been searching, together with the journey to the beach in Wales where Sholto is sure lies the beginning of their rescue.  

This was a mixed one for me.  I read the free short story, in which we are introduced to George Tull, the (relatively) young and sprightly resident of an old peoples' home.  This story takes place just as the outbreak starts, and is very, very good - go read it!  Some of the conspiracy uncovering and resolving stuff I found a little bit too outlandish, coincidental and not in keeping with the realism of the rest of it (if talking about realism when referring to a zombie apocalypse novel doesn't seem too daft), and also a little information-heavy; George didn't seem to bear much relation to the old chap I'd met in the short story.  There was too much long conversation which was all there just to impart the background and subsequent cover-ups to the reader, it wasn't that interesting to read.  

However!  There were also some splendid bits.  There's a truly shocking episode around the middle, when the group have come through a fairly zombie-free few miles, only to look over a hill into the abyss - literally millions of them, all on a shambling march to nowhere.  I won't say how they hide from them because it'll spoil it if you read it, but the descriptions of this, their escape and how the horde of moving undead turn the countryside into something like the face of the moon were so good I read it twice.  There's also a balloon ride that I read twice, too, and I loved some of Bill's thoughts about the world and the situation they were in.  

To sum up - some bits were a bit tedious, but I still really liked it, and am still going to start book 4.... now!


Book 1: London reviewed HERE

Book 2: Wasteland reviewed HERE

Book 4: Unsafe Haven reviewed HERE  

CHANGING PATTERNS by Judith Barrow

4.5 out of 5 stars

1950s family drama

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

Now, this is what I love to see ~ a sequel that is better than the first!  Ideally, writers should improve on their craft all the time, even if they do so without realising; I've read a few books from series this year and been pleased to find this the case, every time, and particularly so with this novel.

Pattern of Shadows followed the fortunes of the Howarth family in working class northern England during WWII; Changing Patterns takes the story into 1950.  I read this book over a period of about 48 hours and thought about it when I wasn't reading it.  What made it good?  It's easy to read, a bit like watching a soap opera; yes, it's an everyday story of simple folk.  Its main USP, though, is the realism, which made me feel two different things.  Firstly, a comfortable nostalgia; I was not born until 1959, but know that people of my parents' generation see those post war years as something of a golden age.  You know, when people had proper family values and were so grateful just to live in a time of peace that they were more appreciative of seemingly trivial pleasures.  The other side, though, is somewhat darker: the prejudices, particularly amongst the ill educated, and the sense of being in a social straitjacket.  This book portrays both sides so well.  

In the first book I did not warm to the main character, Mary Howarth, but I came to like her much more in this one, along with ex POW, Peter, and Mary's sister, Ellen.  Oh, and the horrors of living with the battleaxe mothers in law!  The book is sometimes very graphic in its realism and made me extremely glad the stork didn't drop me in Ellen's situation; Mrs Booth was quite revolting.  And then there is the gross and despicable George Shuttleworth...
I'd say that if this sort of family drama is your favourite thing to read, you will love this book; it's very well written and is a fine example of the genre.  I shall definitely be reading part 3 when available; it's about the next generation and is set in the 1960s.  I so look forward to Ms Barrow's take on an era I really do remember.

A note to the proofreader: at 66% Ms Barrow has used the word 'scran', which is northern slang word for food.  "Good scran that, our kid,".  Alas, the proofreader/editor has changed it to 'scram'!  This made me laugh, as I am a southerner who has moved to the north east in recent years, and before that I hadn't heard of the word, either.  There - you learn something new every day, indeed!


PATTERN OF SHADOWS by Judith Barrow reviewed HERE

LIVING IN THE SHADOWS by Judith Barrow reviewed HERE