Review: C. L. Anderson 0 responses

Title: Bitter Angels Editor: C. L. Anderson Format: MM Available Formats: MM, Kindle, Barnes and Noble eBook, Sony eBook Page Count: 438 Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Spectra Pub. Date: August 25, 2009 ISBN-13: 9780553592177 Series: Unknown

The Guardians endorse peace. Mostly. Though the rules and edicts strictly forbid any Guardian from killing--even in self defense--the Guardians are not altogether without violence and certainly have enough cunning. Terese lived these edicts once, before she was horrifically tortured and before she retired. Now she tries to live life with her family and forget any duty except to her three children and husband. However, Terese's life is turned upside down when the woman who saved Terese from torture is murdered. Not only is Bianca murdered, but as she died she named Terese as her replacement. Despite reservations, Terese finds herself heading off to one of the 'hot spots' of utmost danger: Erasmus system.

Bitter Angels is a little bit military sci-fi, a little bit spy novel, a little bit ambiguous. The story is ambitious, stretching across worlds, a large cast of characters, and layer upon layer of plot.

Getting into Bitter Angels is a little bit difficult. By which I mean that the author begins with an incredibly off-putting prologue that means nothing until about 300 pages later--and even then doesn't really serve any purpose. Feel free to skip these 4 pages.

The beginning ramps up the interest as soon as the story begins to settle upon Terese's decision, in my opinion. She is by far the most interesting character in Bitter Angels and truly the person the entire story revolves around and hinges upon. Her dilemma of choosing between two types of duty is heart wrenching--should she serve her duty to her family or to preserving the peace? And if she enjoys one more than the other, should she feel guilty?

Although the middle sags a little under the weight of Anderson trying to dispense information, I think it's made bearable by the details. The cast is strong, if not as strong as Terese. (Particularly Amerand, Siri, and Vijay.) Additional technological and social details like the companions (which are basically implanted best friends into the minds of each Guardian) and the Clerks (who watch over everything and provide Big Brother-esque surveillance) are intriguing as well as disturbing.

The only other problem I had with Bitter Angels was a few sketchy parts in the plot, which always seemed to be in regards to Bianca. However, these are easily looked past when considering the truly powerful other elements of the plot. Especially the end makes up for any slack in suspense through the rest of the novel, because I was utterly struck by the last three pages.

Quick and Dirty: An Acquired Taste.
In the end, I recommend Bitter Angels with qualifications. It has some truly excellent questions and elements despite some slow parts, a few sketchy sections of the plot, and an utterly useless prologue. Bitter Angels is an incredibly ambitious and riveting novel. And I truly hope to see more of Terese and Amerand in another book.

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Interview: David Wellington 4 responses

David Wellington is a well-established author of horror. He's mastered zombies and vampires. Next on his agenda are werewolves! Be sure to check him out if you're curious to see a different take on the dark beasties of popular horror/fantasy fiction.

Book Love Affair (BLA): In a few days, on October 6th, you have a new release. The book is called Frostbite. What can you tell us about this new novel? Will it be a series? David Wellington (DW): Frostbite is about werewolves, and it's set north of the Arctic Circle, in the most desolate part of Canada. It's a horror novel and a love story. It's about falling in love with a monster. And not the "I was a magical prince all along" kind of monster, the kind that eats people. There will be exactly two volumes in this series. When I released 23 Hours, the fourth volume in my vampire series, everyone said "bizarrely enough, it's the fourth volume in a trilogy", even though I never called it a trilogy. Now I expect people to say "bizarrely enough, it's a trilogy with only two volumes". But you know what? I like it when I confuse people. BLA: David, you've written about zombies and vampires extensively. What attracted you to these creatures? DW: I grew up in a world where monsters had been assimilated into society. Nobody takes vampires seriously anymore--they're actually very nice, and they want to date your sister. Zombies have become yet another internet comedy meme. When I started reading old books (and watching old movies) I realized that people didn't use to feel that way. They were actually scared of these things. I wanted to cut through the irony and figure out where those myths came from in the first place. BLA: What inspired you to follow up with werewolves for Frostbite? DW: Honestly, when I started the project, years ago, my thought process was "I did zombies, now I'm doing vampires--I should really have a werewolf book to round it out." Not every project starts with angels singing and light coming down from the heavens. Then I started doing the research and I fell in love. I re-read Call of the Wild and the lightbulb went off over my head. What are werewolves like when they're away from humans? Similar questions actually initiated the zombie and vampire stories, actually. But I wanted to know, did they run in packs, did they have elaborate social hierarchies, did they sniff each other's butts? BLA: What sets your werewolves apart from the numerous other werewolf novels? DW: A big part of the books are actually told from the wolf's point of view. That sounds very Anne Rice but actually it's all about what it means, functionally, to live in two bodies, and have to deal with what the other body gets up to--both waking up all bloody and realizing your wolf killed somebody, but also, knowing that when the moon is bright, you're out there running around with other wolves, hunting for food, living purely like an animal. What does that do to a 21st century human? Most of us have zero experience with that in our daily lives. BLA: What monsters or creatures would you like to try next? DW: Frankenstein's Monster. Definitely. There's something transcendentally lonely about him (the book or the movie version, take your pick). He's not just an outcast. His creator takes one look at him and runs away in horror. That's just harsh. And where does he go from there? He has to make his own rules, find his own purpose. BLA: All your novels seem to start as online serializations. How did you begin posting your writing online? How has this impacted you as a writer? DW: I started posting online because I couldn't get published... and it was the thing that got me my break. I kind of won the lottery, there. On the other hand, it forced me to improve as a writer by quantum jumps. I had to keep the energy high, make the characters compelling, build suspense on a level I'd never tried before. The best way to learn something is to jump in knowing absolutely nothing and figure it out as you go along. I guess that's not true for skydiving, actually. But for writing, it may be the only way. I tried the traditional routes of learning how to write, and even got an MFA in creative writing, but what most teachers want you to learn is why they're so brilliant, and why you should write exactly like them, except not quite as well. That's useless. BLA: Horror is a fantastic genre with an incredible selection of monsters and stories. What are your top 10 horror "staples" (in either book or movie form)? DW: Frankenstein, Dracula, anything by Arthur Machen, any short story by Ramsey Campbell, Stephen King's first three books, every word Peter Straub ever wrote, the movie Near Dark (see? you don't have to do what everybody else did), of course Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson (all of his books, not just Jekyll and Hyde), and H.P. Lovecraft. Every aspiring horror, science fiction and fantasy writer should spend one year writing nothing but Lovecraft pastiches, which he or she should then burn (preferably at midnight while chanting ancient invocations to blind, primal forces of destruction) and never speak of again. You know, just to get it out of your system. BLA: Is there anything else you'd like to share with your readers? DW: Just... thanks. I try to provide my readers with a few hours entertainment. They provide me with a means of making a living, doing the one thing I've wanted to do since I was six years old. I can't fully express my gratitude for that in words. BLA: My final question to all interviewees: My blog, Book Love Affair, is named after my passion for books, but what would a "book love affair" mean to you? DW: A one-year solo mission to Mars with a paper copy of every book ever written in the history of mankind and nothing to do but read. Then, once I got there, I could take a look around (I'd love to see Mars) and take the one-year trip back with all the books I didn't read the first time. Sounds pretty good to me. BLA: Thank you, David, for taking the time to answer a few questions at Book Love Affair! Best of luck with Frostbite in 3 days!

For anyone interested in finding out more about David Wellington or his novels, you may either visit his official website or click any of the titles above (all first in his series) to find out more. [ Click here to read the rest! ]

Giveaway: Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan 13 responses

Most of you know how excited I am to have discovered author Brandon Sanderson. So excited that I'll be working my way through the entire Wheel of Time in 2010. Thus, I am very pleased to offer a giveaway. In honor of The Gathering Storm's release, Tor is giving away a limited number of sets of The Eye of the World and Mistborn, the first novels of fantasy series by the two great authors involved with the Wheel of Time. Keep one and give the other to a friend ... give both a friend ... heck, keep them both to yourself if you want to! We won’t tell ...

First, to whet your appetites, here's a great (if short) interview with Harriet McDougal and Brandon Sanderson:


Are you ready for the giveaway details?
There will be three winners chosen to receive a set of Eye of the World by Jordan and Mistborn by Sanderson. Contest is open to residents of the US, Canada, and UK. Just fill out the instructions below. There are additional instructions to gain more entries.

Name: Email: Why You'd Like To Win: Additional entries: (For additional entries, just mention these in the same comment as the information requested above. Please only comment once.) +1 entry, be a follower of BLA. +1 entry, follow BLA on Twitter. +1 blog or tweet about this entry. +1 comment on any one previous review by BLA (include URL).

This giveaway ends 10/26. Winners will be announced 10/27--the same day you can find The Gathering Storm in stores! [ Click here to read the rest! ]

Review: Carrie Ryan 6 responses

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth Editor: Carrie Ryan Format: TC Available Formats: Kindle, Barnes and Noble eBook, Sony eBook, Audio Download, Audio CD, TP (Feb. 9, 2010) Page Count: 308 Genre: Horror/Young Adult Publisher: Delacorte Press Pub. Date: March 10, 2009 ISBN-13: 9780385736817 Series: #1 of 3

Several generations after the world is decimated in a zombie outbreak, a little village surrounded by a strong fence continues to survive amidst what they call 'the Forest of Hands and Teeth'. The village has become radically religious and look to the mysterious Sisterhood for their survival. Between the Sisterhood and the Guardians, the village is able to pretend normalcy even while under the constant pressure of Unconsecrated (their word for 'zombie') outside. However, Mary is a dreamer and in love. Both her dreams and her love are forbidden to her--and her defiance brings her into direct conflict with the Sisterhood.

How amazing is that title? The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The minute I heard the title, I wanted the book because of the amazing imagery packed into so few words. Needless to say, as soon as I heard that the book was about zombies, the decision was made and the book was obtained. I am, after all, an admitted fanatic when it comes to zombies and/or the end of the world.

I was a little surprised to find that the great majority of the book doesn't dwell on the Unconsecrated (read: zombies), but instead focuses on the society of the little village and, in particular, the frustrated life of Mary. Although I thought that the way Ryan builds the world is pretty damn good (if needing more detail), I was a little let down. Now, that being said, I do want to further speak about the world in detail, because it really is done in such a way as to be both interesting and layered. The village has many elements of intrigue. The religious aspect of the village is pervasive and well-thought out. The Sisterhood basically becomes a secret organization of nun-like women who hold all the power without seeming to. Also, the non-religious sections of the building have interesting nuances and histories. I particularly liked the mention of how important and expected it was to raise a family for a woman and the reiteration of the importance of 'commitment', because a barely surviving group should start reaffirming these things if they want to survive. I thought these details were well-delivered in that the information comes from many sources in the text (or even just in hints) and easily integrates the reader with Mary's knowledge.

Which brings me to Mary. She's our protagonist for The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Mary is a girl who is a little selfish, perhaps, in the persistence of her dreams and beliefs. Because her mother told her of the ocean (which no one really believes in other than Mary), Mary resolves to go to the ocean. This is very similar to how Mary decides she's in love with Travis and spurns his otherwise perfectly acceptable brother. These are really the motivations that drive her--and keep driving her as she begins to get heaped with more and more trouble. Maybe it is selfish that she doesn't let Travis or the ocean go, but I love her for her stubbornness. And her brokenness. More than anything, I love that Mary's major question for herself is, "Will I ever be happy and what will it take?" This question causes her guilt, self-doubt, despair, but really lends itself to the journey she and her friends find themselves taking.

Even with the lack of focus on the Unconsecrated, I think Ryan has a fairly good grasp of suspense. I managed to devour (har, yes a pun) this book in a day, despite classes. Plus, I'm already speculating how the second book in the series will go and can't wait to see for myself.

I do have yet one more complaint to add on to the lack of presence of the Unconsecrated (especially in the early part of the novel). Even though I felt that Mary's character was very well developed, I didn't get the same feeling from the other major characters: Jed (though I think he redeemed his early lack of characterization later), Travis, Cass, and Harry. With these characters it almost feels as if Ryan tells the reader their value and what's to be expected of them rather than showing. But, that's not quite right either. Regardless, these characters feel a bit hollow, especially in comparison to Mary. The hollowness of the characters, particularly Harry and Travis, end up harming the very integral romance.


Quick and Dirty: The Chemistry Is Undeniable.
There's something that stays with you after reading this novel. For any flaws it has--and, hey, every debut has flaws--this eerie story will stick with you. Again, this is recommended to horror fans or those looking for a more somber read. I bought it in hardcover and don't regret a penny.

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