tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65190464449270343782024-03-28T20:27:31.213-07:00INTO THE ABYSS Reviews of Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction
By Mallory Heart RecommendsMallory Heart Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15301735789955586567noreply@blogger.comBlogger365125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-8424289228318478022024-01-07T07:48:00.000-08:002024-03-01T10:03:29.857-08:00WINTER'S RESPITE READATHON 2024<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDq3x0pLGSx1u8Y8WlkcpiG7rj8djY6B_YLWwvGihoRLCrYxXJOmIYkY6mx8eu2wNksQiXY2ME54AR2skKtAm0plkfF9sq9AibaJK5FDeOuHNELVqWUlWl2M0XGuDyUGEie7ZVD8KanwCWVNM44vE7Kup02DzhW7Dg6DBqrB06UvvutG3cnLvBvXK8Gw/s605/winters%20respite%202024.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDq3x0pLGSx1u8Y8WlkcpiG7rj8djY6B_YLWwvGihoRLCrYxXJOmIYkY6mx8eu2wNksQiXY2ME54AR2skKtAm0plkfF9sq9AibaJK5FDeOuHNELVqWUlWl2M0XGuDyUGEie7ZVD8KanwCWVNM44vE7Kup02DzhW7Dg6DBqrB06UvvutG3cnLvBvXK8Gw/s600/winters%20respite%202024.jpg"/></a></div><p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWATBEI2DB5UMFDVJuY6a4wYDzpfTUcyqxS3IJ5WV-ZmqTgVHTY0MiykLrNwGcDz7ZCRyvPyDWP1yFmPp2ugYvnwQ8jNGpGeGAf-_qyIvrgZ8WeGhggarmL2mAaBJgOw96cd5fiaGClwwODqvQeOKEhwjNCccDJoE4ABWib0yawshBH96PahZI3dkvKM/s1200/winters%20respite%202024.jpg" target="_blank">WINTER'S RESPITE</a><p>
<a href="http://seasonsreading.blogspot.com/2024/01/winters-respite-2024-sign-up-time.html" target="_blank">SIGN UP</a>
<p>
Titles Read:<p>
1. AMONG THE LIVING. Tim Lebbon. Climate Change SF/Horror. Release Feb. 13.<br>
2. HOUSE OF LAST RESORT, Christopher Golden. Sicily, Folk/Religious Horror. Release Jan. 30.<br>
3. GHOST STATION, S. A. Barnes. SF/Horror Space <br>
4. EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT, Benjamin Stevenson. "Golden Age"-style Thriller/Mystery, about Writers.<br>
5. LOST IN THE MOMENT AND FOUND, Seanan McGuire. (Wayward Children Series). Fantasy. <br>
6. THE TUSKS OF EXTINCTION, Ray Nayler. Near-Future EcoSF.<br>
7. EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD, Jenny Hollander. Psychological Thriller/Unreliable Narrator <br>
8. HUNTED HIGHWAYS: ROAD TRIP TERROR. HORROR/APPALACHIA/NOVELLAS <BR>
9. WIDOW FALLS, Kiersten Modglin. Suspense/Psychological Thriller. NA. <br>
10. WHALEFALL, Daniel Krause. YA Speculative. <br>
11. THE HITHERTO SECRET EXPERIMENTS OF MARIE CURIE, Speculative, Aanthology
<br>
12. A DRAGON'S CHAINS by Robert Vane [A REMEMBERED WAR, Book 1]. Dragon Epic Fantasy <br>
13. LONG TIME GONE SNEAK PEEK, Charlie Donlea. psychological Thriller <br>
14. AWAKE IN THE NIGHT. KU Virtual. Sapphic. Horror. <br>
15. LONG TIME GONE. NG ARC Current. psychological Thriller <br>
16.THE RESORT, Sara Ochs. Release Feb. 6. TWISTY Psychological Thriller. <br>
17. SNOWFALL ON LIGHTHOUSE LANE. NG ARC Mount TBR. Libby Virtual. <br>
18. HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS. (DREAMHOUSE KINGS #1). HOOPLA VIRTUAL <br>
19. THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP, Christian Francis, collection. NG ARC Current. <br>
20. MY DEAR HENRY. NG ARC Mount TBR. Pride. Historical fiction. <br>
21. HAUNTED SECRETS: TALES OF ELOISE. SCARE STREET ARC <br>
22. DRAGONS DON'T EAT MEAT. BOOK 1: THE VALKYRIE BESTIARY. Mount TBR. Urban Fantasy.
23. STORM DRAGONS VOL. 1. Graphic novel. Mount TBR. Epic Fantasy<br>
24. THE WHITE GUY DIES FIRST. NG ARC Current. <br>
25. IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS. Libby Virtual and NG ARC Mount TBR. <br>
26. DARK TIDES: THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, APPALACHIAN HORROR. <br>
27. THE FAMILIAR SNEAK PEEK <BR>
28. TAVERN OF TERROR VOL. 12 SCARE STREET ARC <br>
29. READER BEWARE: A FEAR STREET APPRECIATION ANTHOLOGY <br>
30. EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE. LIBBY VIRTUAL. FANTASY <br>
31. THE GHOST WHO WAS AFRAID OF EVERYTHING. EDELWEISS ARC. <br>
32. GERNSBACK. online Virtual. SF <br>
33. BURNING CHROME. MOUNT TBR. SF CYBERPUNK. <br>
34. UH OH MY DRAGON'S HUNGRY. EDELWEISS ARC. Children. <br>
35. NEUROMANCER. SF, Cyberpunk. <br>
36. OSGOOD AS SHE GETS. Release February 29.<br>
37. THE HAUNTING OF THE BLACKTHORNE HOUSE. KU Virtual <br>
38. BONDING FIRE. NG ARC Current. Fantasy-Dragons <br>
39. THE RESTLESS ONES. KU Virtual. Horror.<br>
plus HER LOST SOUL by Helen Pfifer, to p. 39.
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-12109051569478444692024-01-02T13:46:00.000-08:002024-01-03T13:08:26.267-08:00READ YOUR SHELVES Challenge <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgdGUyGyzkYUEYCOHsQOpBELvCQ4Sl6geqiOerKRG5r1-707LXum9nwgMUO-VNs7GbGtyJWUBU4sQqezG9uKp0NMXEYHQbV-0I5cX0pCCDTx_AZd_WlzIMst7sy9s3yCzS7eFyo4ziXxZUNCLpd-1AiDhVmA4KpfZLMXIz1sdHUo4cubUMuBNLd4gcd4/s519/Read%20your%20shelf%202024.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="519" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgdGUyGyzkYUEYCOHsQOpBELvCQ4Sl6geqiOerKRG5r1-707LXum9nwgMUO-VNs7GbGtyJWUBU4sQqezG9uKp0NMXEYHQbV-0I5cX0pCCDTx_AZd_WlzIMst7sy9s3yCzS7eFyo4ziXxZUNCLpd-1AiDhVmA4KpfZLMXIz1sdHUo4cubUMuBNLd4gcd4/s600/Read%20your%20shelf%202024.jpg"/></a></div><p>
<a href="http://www.gathertogetherread.com/2023/12/2024-read-your-shelf-challenge.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">READ YOUR SHELVES</a><p>
Going for: <br>
52 - 150 📚 <br>
52 = 1 NetGalley ARC Mount TBR (received prior to 1/01/2024) PER WEEK of 2024 <br>
150 = Top goal on Goodreads Group Mount TBR 2024: <br>
includes NetGalley, Edelweiss, Owned 📚, acquired prior to 1/012024.<p>
1. THE GRIFFIN'S EGG by Cole Poindexter, Audio, narrated by Cole Poindexter. NG ARC Mount TBR. Fantasy. MG.<br>
2. THE GRIFFIN'S EGG. Digital. NG ARC Mount. Fantasy. MG.The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-14868319605582512582023-11-08T07:12:00.001-08:002023-11-08T07:12:16.508-08:00Review : PARALLEL LIES by John Calia<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipBonSKyfXMZ-UyxNkgqRk5GwALAp0kIH4t_H4fNqL8SvzW9A5WX0CCuXpN5Yz0WZdMnFFQCVyaEaYqvzEV7pKhcvmt_DfETBTEZNiyJf-z9UiVjEo__G2Eg_d6jHteQdEJnQMqrz3QwWfdbFsh0Bi6q6iVDGiACZdsOMebyS8UQ8nK8UT5DWVT8wYKg/s522/198841823.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipBonSKyfXMZ-UyxNkgqRk5GwALAp0kIH4t_H4fNqL8SvzW9A5WX0CCuXpN5Yz0WZdMnFFQCVyaEaYqvzEV7pKhcvmt_DfETBTEZNiyJf-z9UiVjEo__G2Eg_d6jHteQdEJnQMqrz3QwWfdbFsh0Bi6q6iVDGiACZdsOMebyS8UQ8nK8UT5DWVT8wYKg/s600/198841823.jpg"/></a></div><p>
PARALLEL LIES is both exciting and enlightening: exciting because the plot is non-stop adventurous and suspenseful, constantly pitting various of the characters in situations ranging from weird to outright dangerous, and enlightening as it interweaves Quantum Physics, Multiverses, Near-Future Science Fiction in a Dystopian setting. So while you're intent on the story, your brain is also subtly expanding, and your imagination is pondering "What If?"
<p>
PARALLEL LIES [Release November 7, 2023] is a sequel to THE AWAKENING OF ARTEMIS [Release September 2021].The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-91519177100650165982023-10-16T11:52:00.008-07:002023-10-16T11:58:16.131-07:00SCI FI MONTH! November 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvbQPQXbdGZjdYwycWCL__-KM5uw1HFvd4ovvhupFRfC98t1wkBaR4f7Bt1zGLACEts7B7m0-sBUZuoXJEBa5OnLsI6PO9fExLZ4Ss1o1kglENGR-Cx_GujCaczvfm9yUzyuRA0L1E3VKXlOD91nnWZ0Tyej-TiW4nJg6-OUYznVr3Yvi4WZzam3RQDY/s940/SFM2023-blog-940x400.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvbQPQXbdGZjdYwycWCL__-KM5uw1HFvd4ovvhupFRfC98t1wkBaR4f7Bt1zGLACEts7B7m0-sBUZuoXJEBa5OnLsI6PO9fExLZ4Ss1o1kglENGR-Cx_GujCaczvfm9yUzyuRA0L1E3VKXlOD91nnWZ0Tyej-TiW4nJg6-OUYznVr3Yvi4WZzam3RQDY/s600/SFM2023-blog-940x400.png"/></a></div><p>
<a href="https://onemore.org/2023/09/10/blasting-off-scifimonth-2023/" target="_blank">SCI FI MONTH</a>
<p>
Artwork copyright:
<br>Yosua Bungaran Cahya Putra<p>
Is it November yet?!!<br> In some Probability, <br> it surely must be.<p> So, collapse that Wave Function, <br> and <p>
Bring November On!!!
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-22928985519772452362023-10-06T06:49:00.006-07:002023-10-06T06:49:45.705-07:00 Review: THE NIGHT HOUSE by Jo Nesbo <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDgfECoLw3jUJYPzbEKaJ3hSG_3667r8nClkRSzAC9Hr2WX4rJeXmC19rIumGdjQN9O0obd-yAwxd4FG3S90djl4vxlvug-Xrc5THx10cNNjvAwp3ftc0W7AyXhPmj3jkuz_nSLt8n0rlsIKxJTFSNYzUiPtcna6xDKs-SPVW-ZKtW3N6QTBvkTtzpww/s387/cover285848-medium.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDgfECoLw3jUJYPzbEKaJ3hSG_3667r8nClkRSzAC9Hr2WX4rJeXmC19rIumGdjQN9O0obd-yAwxd4FG3S90djl4vxlvug-Xrc5THx10cNNjvAwp3ftc0W7AyXhPmj3jkuz_nSLt8n0rlsIKxJTFSNYzUiPtcna6xDKs-SPVW-ZKtW3N6QTBvkTtzpww/s600/cover285848-medium.png"/></a></div><p>
Release October 3.
THE NIGHT HOUSE is an amazingly complex fantasy/Horror/Psychological Thriller. I read it in one sitting and still am not sure which aspect to think is "fact" (in the context of the story). Jo Nesbo is quite a prolific author and I've enjoyed several of his novels, yet I've never read one like this.
<p>
Part One is contemporary Fantasy/Fairy Tale/Horror, and terrifying it is! Part Two spins Part One on its head, riffs on the nature of Perception and Consciousness, then ramps up the Horror meter and delivers par excellence. Then Part Three strolls in to convince readers (and Unreliable Narrator) "all this was just a Dream!" [Was it?]
<p>
No matter what, THE NIGHT HOUSE is a novel I'm going to spend a lot of my nighttime wakeful hours pondering. Thanks for that, Mr. Nesbo!The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-59741169138734353942023-10-04T09:36:00.001-07:002023-10-04T09:36:43.016-07:00Review: OUT THERE SCREAMING ed. By Jordan Peele I can't praise highly enough this remarkable, exceptional, Anthology of Black Horror! Spine-chilling, terrifying, enlightening: the authors of these special stories may well all be geniuses of the Outre!! My special favorites (I possess the frozen spine and rapid-beating heart to prove so) are the two tales from Nnedi Okarafor (terrifying!), one from Tananarive Due (scared me senseless), one by Rebecca Roanhorse (which elicited my "OH, Yeah!" reaction), and a compelling and thought-provoking tale from Cadwell Turnbull. But all are exceptional, without question, a perfect complement to Spooky October reading.
<p>
Included is a frightening "wake-up" introduction from curator of this Anthology, Jordan Peele.<p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilii6lGxL0pRpJqDVW3ZozG_DHcyXtgJpe0dyyzMuvAuonHWQyUV29oXGOnusOVQBJ87FuxhgGh8fBFSvZxg3XVMtU8Fr6FIO_pVvr1T_XR4FF1YEmAa4Eh4FK6Tyoy-NJeonFsvaqVbWzZdvEYCjkMuPhua7gEfHyKr1B1kfFzJqcesfg5ZUGNRpKPf8/s91/cover296390-mini.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="91" data-original-width="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilii6lGxL0pRpJqDVW3ZozG_DHcyXtgJpe0dyyzMuvAuonHWQyUV29oXGOnusOVQBJ87FuxhgGh8fBFSvZxg3XVMtU8Fr6FIO_pVvr1T_XR4FF1YEmAa4Eh4FK6Tyoy-NJeonFsvaqVbWzZdvEYCjkMuPhua7gEfHyKr1B1kfFzJqcesfg5ZUGNRpKPf8/s600/cover296390-mini.png"/></a></div>
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-43253186739830129132023-09-19T12:51:00.004-07:002023-09-19T12:51:57.546-07:00BLOOD OF THE MANTIS <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWavnvdn0BHbfa2KZ11GTzVqj4Pag5bxFiroObZMMnj-cRu3id86Lq2P9NxoGK5K3LJji9zpIxOmbWJ-uaSdQWj4K558SqORrTtz3mbWsiv-V0MTy20D-ufsc8OPyBZCDt20FDcih8vgiBMSWDY6wW1GOb8cOLcxUojQPJPBLmpcUOoVyaFRyLxqH3-k/s390/41nR9vhc6ML._SY390_.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWavnvdn0BHbfa2KZ11GTzVqj4Pag5bxFiroObZMMnj-cRu3id86Lq2P9NxoGK5K3LJji9zpIxOmbWJ-uaSdQWj4K558SqORrTtz3mbWsiv-V0MTy20D-ufsc8OPyBZCDt20FDcih8vgiBMSWDY6wW1GOb8cOLcxUojQPJPBLmpcUOoVyaFRyLxqH3-k/s600/41nR9vhc6ML._SY390_.jpg"/></a></div><p>
Few authors can manage Anthropomorphizing and make it believable, efficient, and amenable as does Adrian Tchaikovsky. (If you differ, please go read his CHILDREN OF TIME Trilogy!) He demonstrates this as well in the SHADOWS OF THE APT Fantasy Series, of which BLOOD OF THE MANTIS is the magical third in the Series. I read it without having read the Series ' first two novels, and though there is a catch-up explanation in the beginning, for continuity's sake, I intend to read the Series in order. Expect exciting, adventurous, and twisted. The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-62989702507315358372023-09-19T11:04:00.004-07:002023-09-19T11:04:38.422-07:00Review: REDEMPTION'S BLADE (AFTER THE WAR BOOK 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVcn4c7POXdwss53P0zKEVV_F627z6fwvy7zi6L9MBAN1uOcobOmG6AFl13_6Tod8XHhIBWnu2D3nz0Aw8Ka-e29riRAw6P3pD001IjG57O-APk0FlGgzQymZwcUX1fw7bs24TsWF1SLZhrzj6LBEnlMksmUbSx4nD_0ACDU-n2iwzjgyVDOK6FUCU08/s391/cover141094-medium.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVcn4c7POXdwss53P0zKEVV_F627z6fwvy7zi6L9MBAN1uOcobOmG6AFl13_6Tod8XHhIBWnu2D3nz0Aw8Ka-e29riRAw6P3pD001IjG57O-APk0FlGgzQymZwcUX1fw7bs24TsWF1SLZhrzj6LBEnlMksmUbSx4nD_0ACDU-n2iwzjgyVDOK6FUCU08/s600/cover141094-medium.png"/></a></div><p>
I confess to not being a lifelong aficionado of Fantasy, as I am of Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Horror, and Mystery. However, reading Adrian Tchaikovsky's Fantasy is changing that, and thankfully he is as prolific in Fantasy as in Science Fiction.
<p>
REDEMPTION'S BLADE is Book 1 in the AFTER THE WAR Series. "After the War" refers to the era of change and clean-up after the slaying by Heroes of one of the most evil villains ever, "Kinslayer," who even murdered demigods. One of the Heroes who triumphed over him is Celestaine, literally a fierce and noble warrior, a woman of righteousness, who embraces as friends former sworn enemies and who pledges all that is in her power to right Kinslayer's wrongs.
<center>TBR PILE CHALLENGE #9</S>The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-77950254454982316392023-09-03T07:09:00.000-07:002023-09-03T07:09:13.165-07:00Review: TRIDENT'S FORGE <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JchulvMHLZ4K1S-35A9RgxLD_-lcWgq0tqJdUpHaYooL50De_4YMQPJtGpmNIb7FlrXDJ2GEEKn5P_FLBgkBq9wbOLrHhxWcfU3c0ezQ1ugeV6RpqBN7__UCYO0Pbzc6dHjBmYY8haj04_MbeZIr28mkSRODNAMCw6VLNUFMGWatdlUxv8AyK43QPNQ/s455/25893686._SX300_.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JchulvMHLZ4K1S-35A9RgxLD_-lcWgq0tqJdUpHaYooL50De_4YMQPJtGpmNIb7FlrXDJ2GEEKn5P_FLBgkBq9wbOLrHhxWcfU3c0ezQ1ugeV6RpqBN7__UCYO0Pbzc6dHjBmYY8haj04_MbeZIr28mkSRODNAMCw6VLNUFMGWatdlUxv8AyK43QPNQ/s600/25893686._SX
300_.jpg"/></a></div><p>
TRIDENT'S FORGE is Book 2 of the engrossing Far Future Science Fiction Trilogy CHILDREN OF A DEAD EARTH. In Book 1, THE ARK, the Generation Ship flying to Tau Ceti star system over the duration of 2.5 centuries, prepares for imminent orbit over their chosen planet, and landing to found a new Colony. (I guess Colonization is intrinsic in human evolution, and apparently Manifest Destiny too.) In TRIDENT'S FORGE, the Tau Ceti Colony has been in existence now for 3 years; the Unbound, the group of independents on the Ark who concealed themselves on the lower levels, eschewing the prenatal brain implants the Ark's test-tube generations all received, have formed their own Village, then 6 months earlier migrated to a Village of a native tribe (yes, Virginia, a sentient species on a planet in Tau Ceti's system, called by the human colonists "Atlantians").
<p>
Our Feckless Hero, Bryan Benson, formerly Chief Constable on The Ark, is now Director of Recreation; his wife Theresa is now Chief Constable. A diplomatic mission from the humans' Colony to an Atlantian village (where the Unbound have emigrated) and a meeting with emissaries from other villages suddenly erupts in violence from without, fatalities, and the beginning of unraveling a conspiracy which reaches back in Ark's history and intends to permanently affect this entire planet. <p>
This Trilogy is exciting, adventurous, and highly suspenseful, filled with creatively designed world-building, intriguing aliens, fauna, and flora; and plenty of satisfyingly constructed conspiracies to keep enthralled readers alert and guessing. The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-12943961816725628072023-09-01T14:31:00.003-07:002023-09-01T14:31:43.127-07:00Review: THE ARK (CHILDREN OF A DEAD EARTH BOOK 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZUXjpPgO5KjdGcY6kmu6Zop4dwHdZ773_J3O-nNYCVaLFx-FFUKRgUDbiK1q9XNDqVEQ8SgfXSmmhC0bC8I8zfbB36cGYy0v6sdmndBZ3BLEKrMtS7Wp49DNsymyLAIyPu7PWHGAtJZRRESEY5eUnXg5anq1wQuQCStZl8UUQu0oWiTZszIO6N6zGNY/s500/42273052.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZUXjpPgO5KjdGcY6kmu6Zop4dwHdZ773_J3O-nNYCVaLFx-FFUKRgUDbiK1q9XNDqVEQ8SgfXSmmhC0bC8I8zfbB36cGYy0v6sdmndBZ3BLEKrMtS7Wp49DNsymyLAIyPu7PWHGAtJZRRESEY5eUnXg5anq1wQuQCStZl8UUQu0oWiTZszIO6N6zGNY/s600/42273052.jpg"/></a></div><p>
Exploration of Space and Colonization are two of my most cherished aspects of Science Fiction. So a novel that mostly is set on a Generation Ship two and a half centuries old, headed for a star system twelve light years distant, where there awaits a tremendous surprise....how could I not adore it? Plus: there's a significant cult whose leader is way charismatic but justifiably more insane than either Jim Jones or David Koresh or the Heaven's Gate cult? The suspense is tremendous, a fair-sized cast of characters is handled quite skillfully, and in first place stands a genuine Feckless Hero [who could model for The Fool card in Tarot], but he's really admirable because he just-won't-stop. (He is, also, the habitat Chief Constable.) A really Champion novel!<p>The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-37670450165587587512023-08-29T14:36:00.000-07:002023-08-29T14:36:03.707-07:00Review: FEVER HOUSE by Keith Rosson.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOfEi_yxQsFgDAH1bgMttqfHEPUkhjz4tT-Kpg5SaEwK8uJ_w_0qZdcEcgffzisc_1Hh-anu0Byg46T8xidLPqPxWv5XeGNSHgRuSzM41-zKTSt87er4-fK-xtXhlg-MM_yQEeeqcnetcXBwGFRjhNSlZTCKoRWKfqrbUNXMuA9kn1vKjH-2YoOaB0u8/s388/cover281659-medium.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOfEi_yxQsFgDAH1bgMttqfHEPUkhjz4tT-Kpg5SaEwK8uJ_w_0qZdcEcgffzisc_1Hh-anu0Byg46T8xidLPqPxWv5XeGNSHgRuSzM41-zKTSt87er4-fK-xtXhlg-MM_yQEeeqcnetcXBwGFRjhNSlZTCKoRWKfqrbUNXMuA9kn1vKjH-2YoOaB0u8/s600/cover281659-medium.png"/></a></div><p>
Release August 15, 2023<p>
At times I am stunned by a novel; at other times I'm metaphorically head-scratching and mouthing, "Whattttt?" I've read a huge number of Weird books over many decades--but this one? I don't know what to say! These two days as I read, I've commented a couple times on social media as to how off-the-wall is Fever House. Reading this novel induced fever in me [as in its characters], thankfully not the same nor to the massive Apocalyptic extent that occurs in the Novel. I feel like I need to go read some simple, mundane, implacable Creature Feature in order to cleanse my stunned and speechless palate.<p>
So here's what I think:<p>
I am constantly shaking my head, because this book is SO bizarre, it's flat-out Weird, it's hard-core Splattery, and it's just so OUT THERE, because the geographical settings are realistic, the cultural background is in tune, Societal stuff resonates, yet beyond,below, and above all that is all-fired Occult Weird! Not that I necessarily think anything Occult is weird, I've been reading such all my life, but this? I think even Aleister Crowley might pale.
<p>
I certainly have. Beware before you even open this book: you, and these characters, will NOT emerge the same as you went in. Not at all, and not where.
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-20067704431955298172023-08-25T12:55:00.001-07:002023-08-25T12:55:27.609-07:00Review: INTERSTELLAR by Avi Loeb <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyfEYqGzpxmZGbgXJH5fricMABakvPlIEYTeDPKnFUXbklhFZuEd1m2fFnWHqCoOp8mNEZ5iDRFd5oxwvkXImtdE21n38hyhTZFdzbakYwJ3rBrbNNl7-nz2qW5YVLlVH9_sEf0tJJ_Vf-t5yXDEC97pfjD8sztYEgTJDWp2Erta43yUJ1278ifYrcM0/s385/cover285458-medium.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHyfEYqGzpxmZGbgXJH5fricMABakvPlIEYTeDPKnFUXbklhFZuEd1m2fFnWHqCoOp8mNEZ5iDRFd5oxwvkXImtdE21n38hyhTZFdzbakYwJ3rBrbNNl7-nz2qW5YVLlVH9_sEf0tJJ_Vf-t5yXDEC97pfjD8sztYEgTJDWp2Erta43yUJ1278ifYrcM0/s600/cover285458-medium.png"/></a></div><p>
INTERSTELLAR is a tremendously inspirational, exciting, adventurous, forward-thinking work of Science nonfiction . Dr. Avi Loeb is a genius scientist, in my opinion, and even more importantly, his mind is open. Much of his convictions closely resonate with and encourage my own. (My only point of exception is his thought that Science Fiction as a genre has tended to be utilized as a backdrop to play familiar tropes. I think not, as there are a number of writers, past and present, who diligently explore "the big questions," which creates the most exciting kind of SF, I think.) In all other respects I have intense respect for INTERSTELLAR and I am eager to read his earlier work, EXTRATERRESTRIAL [speaking of mainstream publications rather than Scientific and Academic publications].<p><p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlM9H9LCCkw41rdN-S9ryX6wKkGk9yKqcxrnlU8gp43F-_g-ArzbMYwX9-WCARESUc4Z4nzuKxbaqBIH09uAkaRbl34Fj7QWcC_BvW62yM87b9ul1pMvjPrll8Qoy2Q07dNKAsXyQTCOlWtbQ1X1OHaVKNPc9GLRPVKoh9lHhtuLsjfGIc3-xgUoqO5c/s385/cover200225-medium.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlM9H9LCCkw41rdN-S9ryX6wKkGk9yKqcxrnlU8gp43F-_g-ArzbMYwX9-WCARESUc4Z4nzuKxbaqBIH09uAkaRbl34Fj7QWcC_BvW62yM87b9ul1pMvjPrll8Qoy2Q07dNKAsXyQTCOlWtbQ1X1OHaVKNPc9GLRPVKoh9lHhtuLsjfGIc3-xgUoqO5c/s600/cover200225-medium.png"/></a></div>The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-71774207644170767592023-08-16T11:42:00.003-07:002023-08-16T11:43:11.457-07:00Review: RUSTED SYNAPSE by Elwood Stevens <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtUugu5YBtjV6AFmdXE9AeyJvzOuhEn3eE2wJh6HvsC4I06JUrDXUNsNTZJNHaGPDuSza6U0gCk7n8N77JQ6YHhiayQFq4-oXfsU_4DIVBxJBiun5RbJ2r9IJnaLrLW-CjY4KniDeloiAZLeFjscAHsqZ9C5VKtiu44y2P1mMVft0v9nUnTLdB94j0tM/s500/64324994.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtUugu5YBtjV6AFmdXE9AeyJvzOuhEn3eE2wJh6HvsC4I06JUrDXUNsNTZJNHaGPDuSza6U0gCk7n8N77JQ6YHhiayQFq4-oXfsU_4DIVBxJBiun5RbJ2r9IJnaLrLW-CjY4KniDeloiAZLeFjscAHsqZ9C5VKtiu44y2P1mMVft0v9nUnTLdB94j0tM/s600/64324994.jpg"/></a></div><p>
Wow! Packed to the brim with exciting mecha-laden adventure, Near-Future Science Fiction, globetrotting (Future Phoenix, to a tech enclave community in Mexico, to Shanghai, to rural abandoned Japan, and back to Phoenix), this Cyberpunk Thriller is heart-in-throat engrossing! We have "full on borgs," AI, "Sentient Daemons," (basically, the Super-Advanced Supreme AI "everybody" seems to fear, sort of like HAL), partially cybernetic individuals, groups of humans who full-on embrace Cybernetics and prostheses [remember the latter 20th century craze for teeth filed into vampire fangs and drinking blood?]. I learned a lot about Quantum Computers, AI, combat synchronization, and geography and culture. But also I think I have seldom been as heart-touched as I was by Vivi, and her lifelong struggle to be deemed worthy by those who mattered most to her: my heart ❤ broke. What a sad existence in her perception, and yet she is so accomplished. It's amazing how deeply author Elwood Stevens delved into Vivi's character to reach "the heart of the matter," and also engrossing are the arcs and evolution of the other characters (and certain tricky, sneaky, characters I won't spoil by naming, who have a heap of nasty tricks up their sleeve). I could reread again and again. (And since AI and Quantum subjects are a fascination, I probably will.)The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-71807414481764556472023-08-15T09:38:00.004-07:002023-08-15T09:38:52.446-07:00Review: EVOLUTION by Stephen Baxter <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlW5te8bfZzBD7lU6F6RpN2cZY5SS3NaOnEeFbVGXIdRat3cpJWlhASCoY7d0us145GRM4ztcVJdekFPdW5Vfs9onyV4jEGBBB6NTsO9QH_f0oWnqSArXA3_-AMVUR5HiZd-uohKmT7Plse9FhYu9ERsGEW9FBlN2WpjivU7H5wsc8t0A6V7yjdqoIdYU/s240/51h2u4S51BL._SR240,240_.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlW5te8bfZzBD7lU6F6RpN2cZY5SS3NaOnEeFbVGXIdRat3cpJWlhASCoY7d0us145GRM4ztcVJdekFPdW5Vfs9onyV4jEGBBB6NTsO9QH_f0oWnqSArXA3_-AMVUR5HiZd-uohKmT7Plse9FhYu9ERsGEW9FBlN2WpjivU7H5wsc8t0A6V7yjdqoIdYU/s600/51h2u4S51BL._SR240,240_.jpg"/></a></div><p>
674 pages. 5 days to read. An incredibly detailed examination of genetics, mutation and adaptation, biology, geology, geography, from back before the Dinosaur Era up into the Near Future [2130 and beyond]. Author Stephen Baxter demonstrates by fictionalizing individually and in groups (tribes and species) various different eras as the planet and life on the planet evolved. I found the utterly detailed description of the destruction wrought by the Comet ending the Dinosaur 🦕 Era horrifying and painful to read; but "watching" the Evolution of Consciousness in humans was intriguing and educational. My other takeaway was how much the human species over all these millenia has to answer for: not just the fossil fuel consumption and thinning of the ozone layer in the 20th and 21st century: also throughout time, wanton wholesale destruction of species, burning entire forests as a routine method of hunting! True that climate change and geological change occurred apart from Humanity, but the human species has repeatedly failed to live in harmony with its only available Planet. The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-60480777612985208912023-08-12T14:12:00.001-07:002023-08-12T14:12:22.263-07:00Review: DEVOLUTION by Max Brooks (2020)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhot8wfy0eZufG76HpmDTAuAgy9_TN9bhS9U1bQVs6sGoVW0C9Uyx3ZKPIHcagtJl6R6r7rgYTHWIToDJFcL-GNdpoGenGZAJy_n5lX1vdnebHCs43ofhVCHdVosR_8IUDKpaq-ZMcZvlqeHzQw5TVbJLHHzjNQmmd5fxFaGYG619sikHn9LBzyYsyIiho/s94/cover179596-mini.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="94" data-original-width="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhot8wfy0eZufG76HpmDTAuAgy9_TN9bhS9U1bQVs6sGoVW0C9Uyx3ZKPIHcagtJl6R6r7rgYTHWIToDJFcL-GNdpoGenGZAJy_n5lX1vdnebHCs43ofhVCHdVosR_8IUDKpaq-ZMcZvlqeHzQw5TVbJLHHzjNQmmd5fxFaGYG619sikHn9LBzyYsyIiho/s600/cover179596-mini.png"/></a></div><p>
I really was ecstatic at the premise of DEVOLUTION [Mount Rainier! Eruption! Covert Cryptids!] (I'm one who spends time pondering a potential Yellowstone eruption, so the quantity of active volcano potential [18] in the Cascades is really exciting--and terrifying! 😳) Anyway, the novel got off to a good start and kept my attention for the most part, although eventually it did seem somewhat overwhelming (this from a person who gleefully devours "Hard Science" Science Fiction). I can actually feature a sequel at some point: there's definitely some threads that could be picked up on, cultural, psychological, and In terms of evolution, both that of the cryptids and that of the human survivors. Also, I wish that the devolution and psychological and moral collapse of certain of the human party could have been expanded on. That would have really impressed me. I think there was a strong thread of that about which we just didn't learn enough. 🤔 In addition, the explication of the Cryptids as descendants of a prehistoric branch of evolution is fascinating. (Inquiring minds want more!)The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-14663822941873057172023-08-11T09:50:00.000-07:002023-08-11T09:50:03.730-07:00Review: RED MOON by Kim Stanley Robinson. TBR Pile Challenge #9<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrT0JeNcVD0uq9pqn2KwRnRJkyiJ5zEtBU0b29Wj_vp4Lo2LBMLuW3AGGghkghuxg-R7gV3uZ3Nv-VB2cyVOBtI2P-jNNNJNKfNJMbWCKoYixx5lWkgIsOAF9giFiQratFsPoCF210UUNP_WmpA72L0N9O_Q5ha5W7wyuxo3xyCznpSxeesj0Oc38BlLs/s475/38908293.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrT0JeNcVD0uq9pqn2KwRnRJkyiJ5zEtBU0b29Wj_vp4Lo2LBMLuW3AGGghkghuxg-R7gV3uZ3Nv-VB2cyVOBtI2P-jNNNJNKfNJMbWCKoYixx5lWkgIsOAF9giFiQratFsPoCF210UUNP_WmpA72L0N9O_Q5ha5W7wyuxo3xyCznpSxeesj0Oc38BlLs/s600/38908293.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>
Kim Stanley Robinson's RED MOON 🌙 [2018] is a complicated, complex, fascinating novel, very politically and scientifically aware. It also reprises some characters from his incredible 1997 novel, ANTARCTICA, including Chinese Feng Shui philosopher and poet (and "Cloudstar" for his Internet travelogue musings) Ta Shu, who is a perfect character: both Wise (intensely), calm, able to see more than one side of a situation, Poetic and accomplished in the study and practice of Feng Shui, a "geomancer." Yet he is also vulnerable and accountable: his age, his attachment to his mother, his physical ailments due to age and extensive travel, his compassion for the book's Feckless Heroes: American Neurodivergent Quantum Mechanic specialist Fred Fredericks and Moon-pregnant [Forbidden] "princessling" Chinese resistance leader Chang Qi. Although laden with political musings and cultural and historical references [China] and Geopolitics [particularly in China and the U.S.], RED MOON is also non-stop adventure...and the cliffhanger! ending left me longing for a sequel! (It's almost 5 years since Release of RED MOON!)The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-47337115064792439902023-08-07T15:32:00.004-07:002023-08-07T15:32:50.302-07:00Review: ICEHENGE by Kim Stanley Robinson <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSAv-ASbsuh5hrhCzxKVK060C-PPhU1WFf1A41PbZd_Oq_xeKZcabMsvB94jwFiIrcvvmSicUnERgNCu8R8kciNMeeu4SB0mkQ0qlt8kLBsauA8zpn1gjGkQ_BqRbqPbKECQqXxj6muoSs0O4KVlTWXN13pWnFq0DVmkrvh0S5BE9UqX3bxjhqAiv9tI/s475/20485169.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixSAv-ASbsuh5hrhCzxKVK060C-PPhU1WFf1A41PbZd_Oq_xeKZcabMsvB94jwFiIrcvvmSicUnERgNCu8R8kciNMeeu4SB0mkQ0qlt8kLBsauA8zpn1gjGkQ_BqRbqPbKECQqXxj6muoSs0O4KVlTWXN13pWnFq0DVmkrvh0S5BE9UqX3bxjhqAiv9tI/s600/20485169.jpg"/></a></div><p>
An exciting novel, the first Martian novel by Kim Stanley Robinson, which commences and concludes with Space Exploration (Asteroid Belts to Pluto, not quite "A to Z"). Told in three segments, a few centuries separate, ICEHENGE has a strongly political/social foundation, reflecting not only the political/cultural climate on Colonized Mars (the story's baseline) but also that of the U. S. and Soviet Union in the 20th century. ICEHENGE showcases how readily human foibles and frailties persist, even in adventurous new frontiers. It also reflects on the importance of Truth, in the Sciences and in life, despite the human tendency to twist Truth according to greed, political or religious ideology. In some ways it is reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984, as the Powers That Be metaphorically turn themselves upside down to present their version of Truth and to conceal or to destroy all opposing versions. The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-15456127242520468482023-08-07T07:23:00.005-07:002023-08-07T07:25:24.300-07:00Review: SUNSTORM by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORWcc96bUqbiBKYoDmbXh63VPNaDLMvarjbujG7diwxpdfzm5diqKaIaHTmHlh50oooThuZJgYNLOruH4PH6ujVMUx4rtm1W1SaLn6UpNPOy7cgs5ubGggvlmYwUjm7DS-b9A7YMLWUpKe6lnBBzI8HjvsKU0EpFEjzvd9uiapcsmVnUS8X58cKiEam0/s475/35815.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORWcc96bUqbiBKYoDmbXh63VPNaDLMvarjbujG7diwxpdfzm5diqKaIaHTmHlh50oooThuZJgYNLOruH4PH6ujVMUx4rtm1W1SaLn6UpNPOy7cgs5ubGggvlmYwUjm7DS-b9A7YMLWUpKe6lnBBzI8HjvsKU0EpFEjzvd9uiapcsmVnUS8X58cKiEam0/s600/35815.jpg"/></a></div><p>
<center>CHALLENGE #7</CENTER>
<indent>I am reading the A TIME ODYSSEY Series by Sir Arthur C. Clarke in consecutive order, as the Cosmic foundational revelations unfold throughout the Series. Book One, TIME'S EYE, relates the folding of divergent strips of Time (from differing eras) and the presence of these self-supporting globes the humans term "Eyes." So we have 2037, 1885, astronauts from the International Space Station, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, sharing suddenly the same fold of Time and interacting; not so much on actual Earth, as on a proto-Earth onto to which Time has been folded, changing geography and geology. This world the humans (of 2037 and 1885) term Mir.<p>
<indent>Book Two, SUNSTORM, continues to unfold the plans of the Firstborn, a species of Minds from a far distant Galaxy and from Untold Eons ago. Their plan is to stop humanity's energy consumption and was set into place before Homo Sapiens scarcely existed. <p>
<indent>The consequence is a Sunstorm of inexplicable and unprecedented proportions, which likely will destroy ALL life on Earth (except heat-seeking extremophiles in the Earth's core) as well as farther distant planets in our Solar System. The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-67889077711330847862023-08-01T16:38:00.005-07:002023-08-07T07:26:38.051-07:00Review: JOURNAL OF THE PLAGUE YEAR [THE AFTERBLIGHT CHRONICLES] 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGkOU-UKXgv8IkhSQjO5tmnbE9VZzEE0KEav660rfuiPcSJbTtwWOf4e-rfdvlzZ4wMTCK1XjxBKkTmUJwMJd5_Xi_X66QNCDmu_NEZDLaW7G6jwPNujtaGlz5yU5lnoefSujv8BSqUByaXyet0CEn5yJs1v8l2xjbTRFmM9jfrMIZmA1ccU822J1OMU/s96/cover48938-mini.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="96" data-original-width="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGkOU-UKXgv8IkhSQjO5tmnbE9VZzEE0KEav660rfuiPcSJbTtwWOf4e-rfdvlzZ4wMTCK1XjxBKkTmUJwMJd5_Xi_X66QNCDmu_NEZDLaW7G6jwPNujtaGlz5yU5lnoefSujv8BSqUByaXyet0CEn5yJs1v8l2xjbTRFmM9jfrMIZmA1ccU822J1OMU/s600/cover48938-mini.png"/></a></div><p>
<center
TBR PILE CHALLENGE #6 </center><p>
Reading this collection in mid-2023 is a total freakout; published in 2014, the book yet feels like the product, not of a throwback to England's mid-17th century Great Plague, but to Coronavirus, which commenced toward the end of 2019 and shook up civilization globally (and which is still affecting life and economy).
<p>
JOURNAL OF THE PLAGUE YEAR collects three stories set during "the Cull," the tremendous pandemic that nearly wipes out humanity and definitely ends "the world as we know it."<p>
"Orbital Decay": Isolation is a recognized psychological factor for the crew of the International Space Station. Worse occurs when all contact with Ground Control is lost, no one can check up on loved ones nor know when a resupply is scheduled. Even worse than that is paranoia and conspiracy and suspicion run rampant: who can be trusted? Then the deaths mount up...<p>
"Dead Kelly": imagine a Mad Max scenario cranked to the max: when civilization collapses, only the soulless will rule.<p>
"Bloody Deluge": And when civilization is gone and survival is all, yet there will be some determined to victimize according to their own skewed views. Why attempt to rebuild civilization when anarchy and murder are so much more exciting?<p>
JOURNAL OF THE PLAGUE YEAR is an entry in THE AFTERBLIGHT CHRONICLES Series. The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-78295771062385336442023-07-19T13:43:00.021-07:002023-09-01T08:39:59.089-07:00HIGH SUMMER READATHON 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePsmtpTP7fgu6K-3hmIgGHI4oz7oRrZ9dxmxg9QOt1VIlMLnpUM0OYFHXtduZKksMNc12fWSDfsvF7q6FUqUEXk8pB32QW_pmYvoGTl0NOCtHWK4rQKR4kXyGo-WgwfFpzRe2HRrRKsNrPaTkQXRpk5WT3rS-RqusWzWCFFTS-OENjCyo1FBZDVb1dcU/s535/High%20Summer%202023.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="535"
src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePsmtpTP7fgu6K-3hmIgGHI4oz7oRrZ9dxmxg9QOt1VIlMLnpUM0OYFHXtduZKksMNc12fWSDfsvF7q6FUqUEXk8pB32QW_pmYvoGTl0NOCtHWK4rQKR4kXyGo-WgwfFpzRe2HRrRKsNrPaTkQXRpk5WT3rS-RqusWzWCFFTS-OENjCyo1FBZDVb1dcU/s600/High%20Summer%202023.jpg"/></a></div><p>
<b><a href="http://seasonsreading.blogspot.com/2023/07/2023-high-summer-readathon-sign-up.html" target="_blank">Sign Up Here!</a></b><p><p>
<center>HIGH SUMMER Goals:<p>
1. NEURODIVERGENCE in Science Fiction <BR>
2. 400 page+ SF<br>
3. Second Chance: Time Travel<p></center>
Titles Read: <p>
1. JOURNAL OF THE PLAGUE YEAR (2014) [THE AFTERBLIGHT CHRONICLES]. SF. APOCALYPTIC. PANDEMIC. 400 PP.<br>
2. STELLAR CLOUD. Speculative Short Story Collection. <br>
3. BLACK VAULT, Alma Katsu. UAPs, SF.<br>
4. ROCKET AND ROVER. HOOPLA VIRTUAL. Children's: Rockets 🚀 and Space <br>
5. . ANDRONE. KINDLE First Read August. SF. Future <br>
6. AFTER THE BATTLE ON STARSHIP HILL. Mount TBR SF <br>
7. TIME'S EYE. MOUNT TBR. SF. 2037.<br>
8. SUNSTORM. SF. 2037ff.TBR PILE Challenge #7. <br>
9. SUNSTORM. MOUNT TBR. SF. TBR PILE CHALLENGE #7
9. ICEHENGE. MOUNT TBR. SF. TBR PILE CHALLENGE #8 <br>
10. TAVERN OF TERROR VOL 8. SCARE STREET ARC <br>
11. NONE OF THIS IS TRUE. LIBBY VIRTUAL. <br>
12. RED MOON, KSR. TBR PILE CHALLENGE #9. SF.<br>
13. DEVOLUTION. SF/Horror.<br>
14. EVOLUTION. <BR>
15. WHAT HAPPENED AT HAWTHORNE HOUSE. Horror/Gothic. <br>
16. GUESTS. WEIRD Horror. <br>
17. RUSTED SYNAPSE. <BR>
18. THE BEAST YOU ARE (Short Stories). Horror, Speculative. <Br>
19. DEVOLUTION OF A SPECIES [2019]. Apocalyptic SF.<br>
20. ARC LIGHT. WWIII, near Future SF. <br>
21.2034: A NOVEL OF WORLD WAR III. Near Future SF.<br>
22. NETHERSPACE1. Speculative Short Stories. <br>
23. PAWS OF DEATH. COZY. <br>
24. DEMONIC DEPARTURE. SS. UF. <br>
25. THE SPECTRAL EXPRESS. SS. UF. <br>
26. A HOPE CITY HALLOWEEN. SS. UF.<br>
27. MEGALODON: BLOODBATH.<br>
28. SHADOWS OF DECEIT. SCARE STREET ARC. <br>
29. SUMMER BLOOMS. Author ARC.<br>
30. SAVAGE SKIES. NG ARC Current/KU <br>
31. DEEP SIX. HOOPLA. VIRTUAL. VIRTUAL SF.<br>
32. TERRA UTOPIA. NG ARC CURRENT. SF/SPECULATIVE. NOT PROXIMA B.<br>
33. ANCIENT SHORES . HOOPLA VIRTUAL SF <br>
34. INTERSTELLAR. Science Non-fiction <br>
35. HUMANITY'S LAST HOPE. YA SF. <br>
36. BEFORE US. THE ABYSS BOOK 2. SF. <br>
37. THE FRUGAL WIZARD'S HANDBOOK TO MEDIEVAL ENGLAND. LIBBY. SCRIBD. Virtual. SF <br>
38. ARKANGELSK. NG MOUNT TBR and Scribd. SF.<br>
39. X, Jack Croxall. Scribd Virtual SF <br>
40. Z, Manuel Alves. Scribd Virtual SF <br>
41. WHISPERS IN THE DARK. Supernatural Horror (Book 2 of 3)<br>
42. FEVER HOUSE.<BR>
43. SURVIVOR ATOLL (STRANDED IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE BOOK 1)<BR>
44. SHADOWS IN THE DARK. SCARE STREET ARC.
45. FORSAKEN (STRANDED IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE)
46. ABANDONED (STRANDED IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE)
47. THE ARK (CHILDREN OF A DEAD EARTH 1). SF. MOUNT TBR . NG
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-75370854481925358282023-07-06T04:56:00.003-07:002023-07-06T04:57:22.143-07:00Review: BELOW US (THE ABYSS BOOK ONE) by Nathan Hystad <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKInTEy3wA0U-CKJBLA6xBC8B8ZtmfDl3txLVEXepDBA_gabrVxz3-NgzCVVvxfR8ytm65vems1Y3i1vYntkh3CZk_dXBAMEOXJO7Dpp87y1d0C3b-84av9-pTA16zFVooDLP3KwGuOYpLK2E9fmMBTr2kKSj9PvDsAmgPujr_Kp1cgXvryuhi-1T14M/s475/140315740._SY475_.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKInTEy3wA0U-CKJBLA6xBC8B8ZtmfDl3txLVEXepDBA_gabrVxz3-NgzCVVvxfR8ytm65vems1Y3i1vYntkh3CZk_dXBAMEOXJO7Dpp87y1d0C3b-84av9-pTA16zFVooDLP3KwGuOYpLK2E9fmMBTr2kKSj9PvDsAmgPujr_Kp1cgXvryuhi-1T14M/s600/140315740._SY475_.jpg"/></a></div><p><p>
Release July 11
<br>
I've read Nathan Hystad's novels for a few years now and have always enjoyed them; with BELOW US, Book One in THE ABYSS Trilogy, Mr. Hystad has batted straight out of the ball park! This novel has it all, for aficionados of Science Fiction, Apocalypse, and Lovecraftian Cosmic Terror. I was enraptured, and honestly, terrified: the danger here is nonstop. Even for readers who don't believe in deep-ocean or underground Horrors, there's earthquakes and sinkholes, there's human devolution as many individuals revert to something less than animals, in the face of hopeless desperation and literally unstoppable danger. Plus there's commutation of Nature and Nature's Laws, there's Genetic Mutation [of humans and animals], there's lemming-mob behavior, and excitingly for me, Mutated Fungi! I am anxious to read Books Two and Three! Yes, we have cliffhangers--multiple! Yes, we have multiple protagonists [remember, in an Apocalypse, too large a gathering attracts too much attention], and many of the protagonists are operating on their own skewed agendas....and the slap-in-the-face, what-just-happened twists! There's lots more, but I don't want to spoil: just read it!!The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-35286524474391059292023-06-23T07:46:00.000-07:002023-06-23T07:46:01.406-07:00Review: THE DEVIL'S PROMISE by Celso Hurtado <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnoS1RFrJfPSLO9sG5vcz1XXAr1-c1pHV51OxTtyNIpoi7aRE0mzDTQzu69MauHtZr3BA0mdTg8rdAsD6P5E2Rt9tdKtCKcMlUTJBy6RVo9Ou3hhso7GPZC0DvC74KuC9x0rfZNR7YEuFFYTWX3oaYQBEzqoIWUzaJEsuI_1Porwd7fSMUpvzEwN6tIQ/s394/cover294424-medium.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnoS1RFrJfPSLO9sG5vcz1XXAr1-c1pHV51OxTtyNIpoi7aRE0mzDTQzu69MauHtZr3BA0mdTg8rdAsD6P5E2Rt9tdKtCKcMlUTJBy6RVo9Ou3hhso7GPZC0DvC74KuC9x0rfZNR7YEuFFYTWX3oaYQBEzqoIWUzaJEsuI_1Porwd7fSMUpvzEwN6tIQ/s600/cover294424-medium.png"/></a></div><p>
Release: 26 September 2023 <p>
THE DEVIL'S PROMISE, a one-day read because I could not stop and sure didn't want to, left me speechless. Not at all surprising, considering my acclaim for Author Celso Hurtado's incredible debut novel, GHOST TRACKS [November 2021], which introduced a remarkable and wonderfully diverse Series Protagonist, seventeen-year-old Erasmo Cruz. This young man is without a doubt one of the most endearing fictional characters I've ever encountered [this in a character-pantheon that includes my all-time favorite Louis, Gay Black assassin and fashion plate of a certain extensive John Connolly Series!] Erasmo is so easy to identify with, so relatable, so eliciting of empathy. So I'm not him and I didn't live his exact life, but so what? We resonate. That's one of the perfect aspects of this Series.<p>
Another is how giftedly Mr. Hurtado writes bullet-train paced Suspense! It's difficult to catch my breath reading his novels! Then the depths--the issues--the lives--the characters: to die for...<p>
The Paranormal/Supernatural: no need for suspension of disbelief here, nor for any skepticism concerning the depths of the abyss of Human Evil. Mr. Hurtado lays it on the line. On.the.Line. Erasmo's Encounters are...simply incredible. <p>
I found the Denouement a little (a lot) shocking....but realistic. And the ending: just glorious. I ended the book turned inside out--shocked--dismayed--frightened--yet ultimately happy. [How often does that happen?]<p>
In my review of the author's debut novel, GHOST TRACKS, back in 2021, I presciently wrote: <p>
"May debut author Celso Hurtado have a long and creatively productive career, because this author is an exceptional wordsmith!"<p>
I'm extraordinarily thankful this hope is coming to pass!The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-29161259826391443692023-05-01T13:29:00.020-07:002023-07-01T09:13:06.692-07:00SCI FI SUMMER READATHON JUNE 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDbHNEKRCpMTBaGSbw9kmWs44C5gakBK9oamlCea4HjYrNk9QefCRASx4hb77U_G_zAVI7k1wGFE-9bfnzTEkOU9im8hU2w1GOKfcwKyV2H5roRJy1emo0iRCzwMViLlEM-ZOcxboVrrPEwApa6EULnb2nnhruG72RS6z2eSwnZWRdQspX8o5BaHs/s543/Sci-Fi%20Summer%20Readathon%202023.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="543" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDbHNEKRCpMTBaGSbw9kmWs44C5gakBK9oamlCea4HjYrNk9QefCRASx4hb77U_G_zAVI7k1wGFE-9bfnzTEkOU9im8hU2w1GOKfcwKyV2H5roRJy1emo0iRCzwMViLlEM-ZOcxboVrrPEwApa6EULnb2nnhruG72RS6z2eSwnZWRdQspX8o5BaHs/s600/Sci-Fi%20Summer%20Readathon%202023.jpg"/></a></div>
<p>
<a href="http://seasonsreading.blogspot.com/2021/05/sci-fi-summer-readathon-sign-up.html" target="_blank">Sci Fi Summer Readathon</a><p><p>
June is SciFi Month AND Pride Month!<p>
Currently Reading:
<center>Wormhole. </center> <p>
My Science Fiction Titles Read:
<br> 1.THE SCIENCE FICTIONARY by Robert W. Bly [reference guide] Release 2 June<br>
2. ROOK by Graham Masterton. SF/Occult Horror (#1 in Series) <br>
3.THE MARIGOLD by Andrew F. Sullivan. Near Future Dystopian SF-CliFi Toronto. with Occult Horror. <br>
4. AMAZING OCTOPUS. Explorations of Space and Ocean for children. German-English <br>
5.SNEAK PEEK PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING. LGBTQ+/OWN VOICES <br>
6. WHY I'M AFRAID OF THE DARK. Author Request. SF/Horror Mount TBR. <br>
7. LOST IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE <br>
8. SAINT JUNIPERS FOLLY. NG ARC CURRENT LGBT Supernatural/Witchcraft Release June 6 <br>
9. SEW INTO YOU. KU. VIRTUAL LGBT. Release June 5 Reread <br>
10. QUEEROES KU VIRTUAL LGBT <BR>
11. FOUR FOUND DEAD
HOOPLA VIRTUAL <br>
12. THE EYES. GUTENBERG. JUNE 1910. <br>
13. WHAT YOU HIDE. Hoopla Virtual and NG Mount TBR 2018 <br>
14. THE SLUMBER PARTY KU Virtual <br>
15. VOLCANIC ADVENTURES. NG ARC Current . (+ Author Request)<br>
16. HARVESTING EVIL. NG ARC Current. <br>
17. SHE STARTED IT. NG ARC Current. Release June 13. <br>
18. THE HANDYMAN METHOD. NG ARC Current <br>
19. THE DONUT LEGION. Release March 2023. <br>
20. THE HORROR AT PLEASANT BROOK. NG ARC. <br>
21. GOOD TOUCH BAD TOUCH. Children <br>
22. MY LITTLE SISTER. Children <br>
23. GRANDMA AND HER MISSING GOAT. Children <br>
24. TAKE ONE MORE STEP. Children <br>
25. THE MONKEY WHO WANTED TO BE A DEER. Children <br>
26. DADDY DONKEY. Children <br>
27. HELL'S CITY (BOOK 2)
28. HELL'S VENGEANCE (BOOK 3) KU VIRTUAL <br>
28.MORAL LESSONS Children. <br>
30. THE MÖBIUS DOOR KU Virtual <br>
31. IT HAUNTS THE MIND. CLP ARC <br>
32. THE FIREBUG KU VIRTUAL <br>
33. THE DROWNING WOMAN. NG ARC MOUNT TBR <br>
34. YOU CAN TRUST ME. NG ARC. Current <br>
35. HOUSE OF ROT. Own. New. <br>
36. CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD. NG ARC. Mount TBR. <br>
37. WORMHOLE. Hard SF. <br>
38. THE ONLY ONE LEFT. Psychological Thriller/Suspense/Generational. Virtual <br>
39. PENUMBRA. Hard SF. Virtual <br>
40.THE DEVIL'S PROMISE. Supernatural Horror/YA/OwnVoices. <br>
41. DRAGGING MASO COUNTY. YA. PRIDE.<BR>
42. ELI OVER EASY. MG/YA. PRIDE. <BR>
43. SCORPIO. SPACE SF. <BR>
44. "HOW IT UNFOLDS." SF. <BR>
45. "THE VOID." SF. <BR>
46. "FALLING BODIES." SF. <BR>
47. "THE LONG GAME." SF.<br>
48. "Just Out of Jupiter's Reach." SF. <br>
49. "Slow Time Between the Stars." SF <br>
50. THE EIGHT CONTINENT. SF. <BR>
51. HAVE YOU SEEN HER? Psychological Thriller. New Release. <br>
52. UNEXPECTED HORROR 3: DARK RAINBOW RISING. Anthology. LGBTQ+ <br>
53. NEWTON'S WAKE. SF. <br>
54. THE COUPLES TRIP LIBBY VIRTUAL <br>
55. INVERSIONS. EDELWEISS. SF.<br>
56. THE ALTERED MOON. SF. NG ARC CURRENT <BR>
57. BINARY SYSTEM NG ARC MOUNT TBR IN PROGRESS to 34% SF
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-65583527762246298232023-04-26T15:30:00.000-07:002023-04-26T15:30:34.394-07:00Review: THIS DELICIOUS DEATH by Kayla Cottingham<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5AUb25upxD6ru014QrWn0oq1H65R5Ri_aIIqzNLP-TCVgIyizvhqPy73XlPgtHwtQP6vYYcEDE30esn_hiMKJuYmTvwG6M8pjlwsEg1vb1-ZTDbK4oWmFHZeD-IybGroij-CQLusi-EKkVO8UuzIHSN7HpMq_ah_ZcWpAPZ4yqkPOBGP-26XcC3s/s383/cover270235-medium.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5AUb25upxD6ru014QrWn0oq1H65R5Ri_aIIqzNLP-TCVgIyizvhqPy73XlPgtHwtQP6vYYcEDE30esn_hiMKJuYmTvwG6M8pjlwsEg1vb1-ZTDbK4oWmFHZeD-IybGroij-CQLusi-EKkVO8UuzIHSN7HpMq_ah_ZcWpAPZ4yqkPOBGP-26XcC3s/s600/cover270235-medium.png"/></a></div><p>
This is author Kayla Cottingham's second novel, a Sapphic YA Horror with strong LGBTQ+ Rep, including a protagonist who is Lesbian/Bi, her best friend who is a Trans Internet influencer, and their two other close friends. Not only are they bonded by friendship; they are fellow sufferer/survivors of "the Hollowing," a mysterious viral disease which struck the planet without warning, affecting some of the population but not all. This brings in the theme of "outsiders," as [just as German-Americans were ostracized and Japanese-Americans confined to interment camps during World War II, while brilliant American minds sociopathically plotted Eugenics strategies] many of the unaffected populace shunned even their own family members and demanded that the "ghouls" be transported to isolated areas, such as deserts, far away from the untouched. For safety's sake, of course.
This condemnation of "outsiders" is of course also reflected in the lives which our protagonists live, as individuals and friends who don't always adhere to the views of the majority. Compounding this is their status as sufferers of "the Hollowing," so that their tight-knit unending friendship is a bulwark and foundation against "normalcy."The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6519046444927034378.post-53585620861586142882023-04-19T07:25:00.003-07:002023-04-19T07:25:59.864-07:00Review: IT LOOKS LIKE DAD by Jason Krawczyk<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILyHMm3FrpOvgQp8bE1z0m_17V8G7PXBNPL_U3J3B50utlmtotWRshsHmkvbmb5o3JFr7u7vNuxIHmCPBvl6r3BYjpw-5FPR-sSD3d08a0PdfPVu6tc5vclrTO6pZpv5kI8GYIjmM_1g2AJAmHxNsuUFY2DT1C2DapzPgG7iixO7fKOn4-umNfstC/s475/123274155._SY475_.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILyHMm3FrpOvgQp8bE1z0m_17V8G7PXBNPL_U3J3B50utlmtotWRshsHmkvbmb5o3JFr7u7vNuxIHmCPBvl6r3BYjpw-5FPR-sSD3d08a0PdfPVu6tc5vclrTO6pZpv5kI8GYIjmM_1g2AJAmHxNsuUFY2DT1C2DapzPgG7iixO7fKOn4-umNfstC/s600/123274155._SY475_.jpg"/></a></div>
<p><p>
How can I encapsulate my intense enthusiasm for this special novella? How to categorize? Mostly, just read it! I adored it and I think all Horror geeks should groove on this, especially those who also love science fiction, Multiverses, parallel Earths, time travel, wonderful riffs on the enduring Lovecraft Mythos [let me tell you: this author has NAILED the Cosmic deities, in my opinion, in their ineffable characters and complete indifference to humble useless humanity. He's really driven that point home, and then hammered it in.] <p>
IT LOOKS LIKE DAD is also extraordinarily efficient Aversion self-therapy for both Thalassaphobia and Arachnophobia (the story is SO VIVID that I had to Google geographic distance to be certain I was far enough removed from danger!).<p>
If you adore Apocalypse, Lovecraftian Horror, time travel, Multiverses, "super-hero/villains," body-crafting (wait till you read this!), race to read IT LOOKS LIKE DAD. <p>
I read it yesterday and I want to go reread it already. I have one immensely favorite adorable character but I won't identify because I don't want to spoil the intense experience waiting on every new reader of IT LOOKS LIKE DAD. I'll be standing in line for each future offering from Jason Krawczyk and the illustrious Little Ghost Books.<p>
No electrons were harmed in the making of this Review.
The Haunted Reading Roomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18154745598997086544noreply@blogger.com0