Thursday, October 31, 2019

Horrorstör

Horrorstör

Coming to this book, I did have somewhat mixed feelings about whether or not to pick it up. Some people seem to love it and others seem to hate it. Having read it, I find that I'm somewhere in the middle. So the basic idea is that there is an American knock-off IKEA that sells cheaper products. In Ohio the is a particular IKEA that has some strange things happen with increasing frequency while the store is closed. As a result, one of the managers gets some "volunteers" together to see who is breaking in at night and catch them. Needless to say, ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties ensue.

So here's the bad. First, the characters are mainly okay. They aren't too deep and anyone who works retail could easily put themselves in their shoes. The limited cast only really sees the main two characters getting any sort of development or really any page time. The extras, after being introduced, don't really appear much after the chaos ensues except for a few pages where something bad can happen to them. I also didn't like how these extras stories didn't really get resolved although this could be explained over easily if a sequel were to explore this. As for the story, it starts out strongly, but then kind of just drops off and feels rushed. The reveal of the terror is great and the portion with the main character being restrained to the chair is chilling. The author does a good job getting into the psyche of someone not able to move. But after that, it's just kind of a race to escape the store, try to get others out, and a little bit of exposition about why the store is haunted and a glimpse at the other side. The amount of building up didn't match the juice yielded from the squeeze. Not to mention the villain just kind of gets "dealt" with and there is never any explanation of how he and is insane domain led to him and it having supernatural ghost powers.

However, these negatives are what hold it back from greatness and this is a greatness that certainly could have been achieved. This is probably why it was an award nominee after all. While the characters and story are just okay, the setting and premise is where this story really shines. Admit it after all, the concept of a Haunted IKEA is what drew you to this story in the first place. At the beginning of each chapter there's an advertised Swedish product. Once the haunting begins these products take on a sinister tone and look like medieval torture devices. The reader can easily imagine themselves in the story simply because many of us have been in an IKEA, which is pretty uniform in appearance across the country. Whereas other horror stories have to describe the setting to you and might succeed in allowing you to insert yourself if they have a great author, this one simply requires you to imagine the IKEA that you've actually been in.

I will also point out that this story does make a great commentary on modern labor and the differences and impacts of hourly and salaried work. It also features commentary on both the effort put for to succeed in life as well as how many people in life are trying to overcome a very difficult position despite exerting themselves. For every successful person there are hundreds supporting them to get to that level of success and trying to make it themselves to varying levels of exertion and success based on their circumstances. This book will make you see your own life in a different perspective and appreciate what you have if only for a moment.

So in the end, it's a decent enough story that you shouldn't get your expectations up for too much. If you can come to it seeking a moderate, novel horror thrill, then it will serve you just fine.

I'd recommend reading this story for those that like stories with ghosts, the paranormal, or the supernatural in general.

Rating:
Story: 3 Stars
Characters: 3 Stars
Settings: 4 Stars
Literary Quality: 3 Stars
Overall Quality: 3 Salmon

Nerdy Details:
Author: Grady Hendrix
Publisher: Quirk Books
Published: 23 Sep 2014
Page Length: 240
Genre: Horror
Sub-Genre: Ghosts
Awards and Nominations:Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Horror (2014)


Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Extinction Age

Extinction Age (The Extinction Cycle #3) (Extinction Cycle Universe #3)

This entry in the series continues the great standard of quality that I have come to expect from it. While the first book always has it's unique place in the series, I would argue that this book outdoes the second book. Picking up in the aftermath of Operation Liberty with the survivors stuck in the sewers, I found the flight from New York City to be chilling and riveting. The story thrives from there with numerous great plot lines. I found the USS Truxton plot line to be ominous and very engaging. It was intriguing to see how Ellis and Kate come up with the next bio-weapon against the Variants. Seeing how various government and military bunkers and safe locations are picked off and overrun one by one also raises the stakes and makes the reality of how bad humanity is losing quite apparent. What I liked most of all was the ending though. It was intense, unexpected, and had the dramatic and rapid climax that will not fail to leave readers very satisfied and filled with emotion. I love that this series won't hesitate to kill characters off in a manner that is both meaningful and keeps the story moving forward freshly. I also appreciate how the series pays attention to the fact that it can't count on an endless supply of manpower, resources, and ammunition to keep populating the narrative. It highlights and brings front and center the fact that there is less and less out there for humanity, and the author, to make use of as the series goes forward. Without a doubt, I can say now that this series is perfect material to be adapted into a TV Series. One can easily see how it could be translated into an episodic format that delivers both great story and amazing action.

I'd recommend reading this story both for any apocalypse nut and for anyone who likes zombies and monsters in general. Fans of military action and contagion thrillers should also enjoy this.

Rating:
Story: 4 Stars
Characters: 4 Stars
Settings: 4 Stars
Literary Quality: 4 Stars
Overall Quality: 4 Salmon

Nerdy Details:
Author: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 16 Jun 2015
Page Length: 356
Genre: Post-Apocalypse, Horror
Sub-Genre: Monsters
Awards and Nominations:  None

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Extinction Edge

Extinction Edge (The Extinction Cycle #2) (Extinction Cycle Universe #2)

After the initial entry started the series off great, I'm very pleased to see that this story doesn't succumb to sequel-itis. Whereas the first story explored the origins and beginnings of the outbreak, this story sees the outbreak having devastated most of the country. With the main characters now located on Plum Island, this story explores how the government reacts to the rapidly dissolving situation. The main story-lines see Beckham and Horn going to Fort Bragg to attempt to rescue Horn's family, the same pair going to participate in Operation Liberty to retake American cities, and an incident on Plum Island and the chaos that unfolds there and surrounds Kate. Without giving away too many spoilers, I can say these story-lines are filled with great action, plenty of emotion, and are the stuff that movies are made of. I also appreciated how well the characters are developing, the introduction of new ones (Meg!), and the ability for characters to be killed off as well. Again, no spoilers.

I'd recommend reading this story both for any apocalypse nut and for anyone who likes zombies and monsters in general. Fans of military action and contagion thrillers should also enjoy this.

Rating:
Story: 4 Stars
Characters: 4 Stars
Settings: 4 Stars
Literary Quality: 4 Stars
Overall Quality: 4 Salmon

Nerdy Details:
Author: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 22 Feb 2015
Page Length: 371
Genre: Post-Apocalypse, Horror
Sub-Genre: Monsters
Awards and Nominations:  None

Monday, October 7, 2019

Star Wars: Wraith Squadron

Star Wars: Wraith Squadron (X-Wing #5) (Legends, New Republic Era #7)

With the conclusion of the Isard and Rogue Squadron storyline, Lucasfilm decided to bring on a new author, Aaron Allston. Continuing the series, they use Wedge Antilles as the continuing focal point and introduce a new squadron for him to create. Whereas Rogue Squadron was an established unit with all new pilots, this story features both a new concept for a squadron and instead of the best pilots, picks the best of the washouts or trouble makers for its pilots. With a focus on being commandos first and pilots second, it presents an interesting approach to the war between the Empire and the New Republic and is quite fun to read about. I was also pleased to see the Warlord Zsinj threat explored, first introduced in a novel published before this series came out and then later mentioned repeatedly in Stackpole's books. This novel was very engaging, with plenty of great combat and excellent new characters and development. It also sets the stage or contribute to a decent amount of the continuity.

I'd recommend reading this story both for any Star Wars fan and for anyone who likes sci-fi in general. Fans of action and adventure should also enjoy this.

Rating:
Story: 4.5 Stars
Characters: 4.5 Stars
Settings: 4 Stars
Literary Quality: 4 Stars
Overall Quality: 4 Salmon

Nerdy Details:
Author: Aaron Allston
Publisher: Bantam Spectra
Published: Feb 1998
Page Length: 416
Genre: Science Fiction
Sub-Genre: Space Opera
Awards and Nominations:  None

Voices in the Snow

Voice in the Snow (Black Winter #1) Let me start off by saying that I am a fan of Coates' work. She is currently the only author...