UFO's usually generate a definitive response in a person with a "no way that's crazy" attitude on one side of the coin and a "yes I believe/yes, why nUFO's usually generate a definitive response in a person with a "no way that's crazy" attitude on one side of the coin and a "yes I believe/yes, why not" attitude on the other. As you may have guessed I'm definitely a believer in UFOs even though I have never seen one myself. Part of the reason is that, in general terms, there's far more evidence for them than any of the gods worshiped by major, and not so major, religions around the world. There's photos, movies and eyewitness accounts from people of all stratas in life including a famous report filed by former American President Jimmy Carter. Military jets have chased and fired at them, commercial airline pilots have had near collisions with them, radars across the world have recorded them and yet some people still don't believe in UFOs. Whether you believe or not I would recommend 'Unsolved UFO Mysteries' as it's not to deep or complicated and sets out the facts of ten major UFO cases/subjects, each with its own chapter, with information on the investigations and what facts and evidence were uncovered. The narrative is strong and well formatted, and I would expect nothing less of veteran UFO researcher William J Birnes (better known as Bill Birnes from the History Channel show UFO Hunters) as he really knows the subject inside and out. Even though each chapter deals with a certain UFO case/subject, such as the infamous Phoenix Lights for instance, the ones chosen are varied enough not to become repetitive and I'm very thankful that the most famous UFO case of all, the UFO crash at Roswell in 1947, isn't included in this book as even ten years removed from being submerged in this culture I'm still all "Roswelled out"! What is included are a few cases that could very well be hoaxes...'The Screaming Alien' whose sole witness was featured on SyFy's 'Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files' in the first series where he failed a voice stress analysis test and was presumed to be lying about his encounter and also 'The Gulf Breeze Mystery' which, even to a seasoned UFO reader such as myself, seems very far fetched. However, both these cases make fascinating reading and will no doubt give you chills and the evidence for these cases are presented "as is" with no definitive side chosen (fact or fiction) by the authors. What we have then is a book about several different UFO cases written from the perspective of two obvious UFO believers but they do take into account any major counter arguments put forward by investigators who didn't reach the same conclusions as they did. It's a very eye opening read and I read all 290 pages in one sitting such was my fascination with the subject matter. The only negative aspect of the book is that the authors often speak of photos taken of the UFOs, evidence left behind, alien implants etc but no photos are included in the book. Had they included the photos, many of which are easily found online for the major cases investigated, I would have given this a slightly higher rating. As it is I still thoroughly enjoyed submerging myself back into the UFO realm for a few hours and I look forward to expanding into more deeper UFO reading in the near future. If you're already a reader of UFO literature then this book would serve more as a digest than anything substantial. For the rest of us, believers or not, it makes for some entertaining, and sometimes disturbing, reading....more
This novel certainly isn't for the faint of heart. It's very graphic in its violence and is stomach churning in its sexual depravity. In many ways it This novel certainly isn't for the faint of heart. It's very graphic in its violence and is stomach churning in its sexual depravity. In many ways it is the most disturbing novel I have ever read and it was actually banned in Kosinski's native homeland of Poland for twenty three years. The book consists of twenty chapters each detailing the journey of a boy whose name we never learn. It takes place during World War II at a time when the, possibly Gypsy/possibly Jewish, boy is sent away by his parents to live in a village in order to escape the Nazi's. It soon becomes apparent that his life will be filled with hatred, violence and sexual depravity. As his story unfolds, each chapter taking the boy to a different setting and new masters he must serve, we observe all that happens through his eyes. Due to each chapter bringing a new setting and new people the characters in this novel, apart from the boy, come and go very quickly and no emotional attachment is made to them. To compensate for this it appears that Kosinski exposed characters to the most extreme situations he could imagine to pull the reader into the story and garner a response. A few examples of this are a daughter forced to have sex with a goat and her brother, a mentally disturbed woman having a bottle shoved into her vagina, where it's purposely smashed before she's beaten to death, and a plowboy whose eyes are gouged out with a spoon. These are by no means the three most shocking incidents chosen to make an impact in this review as each chapter brings along equal amounts of evilness and perversion. Unfortunately, that evilness and perversion are the only things that make the book stand out. The writing itself is okay but the story is far fetched to the extreme (it was initially passed off by the author as his real life experiences as a child although he later admitted it was a complete work of fiction) and the amount of brutality imposed upon the boy would no doubt have left him dead long before the end of the story. There are, however, some redeeming qualities although they themselves are steeped in the aforementioned violence and sexuality. For instance, the book's title stems from the time the boy is living with a professional bird catcher. The catcher will paint a bird different colors and then free it so it can go back to its flock. Due to the unnatural colors the bird is now shunned by the flock it was once a part of, turned upon and killed by its own kind. What the author is doing is using birds as an allegorical form in order to mirror the horrors of the day with Jews and Gypsies being massacred by fellow "humans". The ending of the book didn't seem like an ending at all, a follow up was never penned, and it really didn't make much sense to me. It was almost as if the author couldn't be bothered writing anymore of the story and so decided to end it quickly and abruptly. I've found that opinion is divided on this book as to whether it's a masterpiece or a load of rubbish. In my opinion I wouldn't recommend it and if you read the plot of the book on its Wikipedia page then you've practically read the story with all the graphic violence and graphic sexuality taken out....more
This was an enjoyable read but not really in depth enough to make it an excellent read. It was very much a whistle-stop account of how ECW came to be,This was an enjoyable read but not really in depth enough to make it an excellent read. It was very much a whistle-stop account of how ECW came to be, was built up and then how it fell. While entertaining a fan of this genre might feel a tad disappointed that major issues and stories don't get the amount of space they require and that the history of the federation is very much watered down....more
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Predictable opening I guess but I just had to go there. Even though I love the Star Wars movies I had neverA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Predictable opening I guess but I just had to go there. Even though I love the Star Wars movies I had never crossed paths with a Star Wars novel before. I had been meaning to for a long, long time but there was always something else that took preference. Well, I finally shoved all other books aside and made time for Death Troopers. Do you like zombies? Do you like Star Wars? Then, in theory at least, you would love Death Troopers as it's essentially a Star Wars zombie novel. I liked the cover of the book as it was selling me on a more adult orientated novel. I didn't like that the cover of the book, when taken off and opened up showing the inside, doubled as a poster. I find it almost sacrilegious that someone even came up with the idea of making a poster out of a book cover. Book covers are meant to cover books and not be pinned to a wall. So what about the story? Well, it's pretty much standard fare with a starship full of convicts contracting a virus, dying then coming back to life craving human flesh. I've never really understood why those who come back from the dead as zombies always crave human flesh? Why not carrots? Why not peanut butter? Always human flesh. Anyhow, a few people happen to be immune one of which just happens to be a doctor who then goes on to make an anti-virus. That anti-virus is given to Han Solo and Chewbacca who don't actually appear in this novel until ninety-seven pages in. The novel itself is only 234 pages in length. The plot then revolves around Han, Chewie and a few other characters trying to make their escape and not being eaten by the zombies. I'm sure my Star Wars novel virginity could have been given away to a more deserving read; one that would not leave me feeling unsatisfied and craving another novel to take to bed with me in order to satiate my literary desires. It's not that this book is terrible, it's just all very cliche and run of the mill. It started off well and the characters of Trig and Kale were promising. Unfortunately that promise was never fulfilled and I found myself not caring whether they lived or died. Of course, being a Star Wars novel there was never any doubt Han Solo and Chewbacca would survive so the supporting cast needed to be stronger. If you're a big Star Wars fan then there's probably enough in this novel to keep you happy. If you're a zombie fan you will have read books like this countless times before. If you're a neutral then I wouldn't really recommend this novel at all....more
Let me start with some positivity; I liked the cover. Okay, positivity over. Now, I'm a huge fan of prose novels that revolve around superheroes and I Let me start with some positivity; I liked the cover. Okay, positivity over. Now, I'm a huge fan of prose novels that revolve around superheroes and I don't really care who that superhero is as long as it's a good book. Having said that I do have a soft spot for Spider-Man. I even had a soft spot for him back when I was convinced that he was really Lionel Richie due to his song and lyrics, and I quote, "Oh, what a feeling. When we're dancing on the ceiling". I mean, how could Lionel not be Spidey with that dancing on the ceiling stuff? Soon after this revelation I then discovered Lionel asking the dumbest of questions to a blind woman, "Hello, is it me you're looking for?" Yeah, way to go with the insensitive lyrics Lionel. I'm sure the "looking" reference went down a treat with a blind woman and at that point I kind of realized that Spider-Man and Lionel Richie were definitely not one in the same. Even given my soft spot for Spider-Man I didn't enjoy this novel. However, I must let you know that if you have absolutely no idea who Spider-Man is then this a decent novel to lose your Spider-Man virginity to! You see, the authors have this horrible habit of recounting what seems like every major incident of Peter Parker's life (he's Spider-Man by the way if you are one of those virgins) within the storyline and so a lot of the book is wasted on stuff like how he got bitten by a spider, how his uncle was killed by the guy he failed to stop, Gwen Stacey being killed etc. Great for the novice with no knowledge but incredibly tedious for anyone who even knows the basics. The beginning of each chapter has a one page picture which acts as a kind of teaser for what will happen in that chapter. The pictures are well drawn but do tend to give away what is going to happen as witnessed at the beginning of chapter six which shows Spidey beating up the Scorpion. Then, of course, he beats up the Scorpion in chapter six. By telling you that I've just given away what happens in chapter six too which makes me a spoiling son of a bitch also I suppose but, in this instance, it goes with the reviewing territory. Speaking of the Scorpion (and you know this part is going to have a sting in tail) Spider-Man has a few random fights in the novel that just seemed to be written into the story in order to break the monotony of nothing much happening. Yes, they're loosely linked into the storyline but loose isn't good enough when the rest of the novel is found wanting. The dialog in Goblin Moon is at times terrible...particularly between Peter and Mary Jane. I lost count of the number of times Mary Jane refers to Peter as 'Tiger' which is the pet name she has for him but, my goodness, it is used to death in this novel. "Tiger", "Tiger", "Tiger" all the way through every conversation that takes place between them. There were times I just had to skip those conversations as the "Tiger" count was bordering on the ridiculous...heck, make that the sublime. One thing that Tiger the old webhead is renowned for is his sense of humor but it was very much lacking in Goblin Moon. Even when present I found it to be lacking, it was flatter than a witch's tit if you will, and that's really one aspect that needs to be correct when penning the character of Spider-Man. I mean, go ahead and add up every time you've smiled reading this review. Okay? Now even if your number is zero then that's still one more smile than you will experience when reading Spidey's quips in this book. The story itself is a good one and pits Spider-Man against his old adversary the Green Goblin...well, who else were you expecting when taking into account the cover and book title?!? Unfortunately, the poor characterization and poor story telling take away from what could have been a decent enough novel in the right hands. As such, I really can't recommend this one at all....more
The bargain bin at betterworldbooks.com can be both a pain in the neck and a wonderful place to visit all at the same time. You see, it's great for fiThe bargain bin at betterworldbooks.com can be both a pain in the neck and a wonderful place to visit all at the same time. You see, it's great for finding hidden treasures but then there's so much to choose from that I can spend hours browsing through them. In turn, that leads to fatigue and fatigued I was when I choose 'Insatiable' as one of my '5 for $15'. I was so fatigued that I didn't realize this was a novel and I thought I was buying a biography. In a way I was getting a biography though as this novel is a mixture of life experiences mixed with fiction; the type of book where the names have been changed to protect the guilty. The story follows the rise to fame in the adult industry of Simone Young (the fictional Heather Hunter if you will) and the path she took to get there. Simone starts out as a naive young woman with strong sexual desires and through the lure of money begins to act upon those sexual desires. At first the sex for money is in the form of prostitution, albeit more high class prostitution, and she progresses from there into exploring her own sexuality, becoming a stripper and on into adult movies. Even though she starts her journey by prostituting it was very much glamorized and that glamorization is evident throughout the book to the point that the story lacks realism. Even if the events portrayed actually occurred I doubt they were all the wonderful experiences that they're depicted to be. One of the aspects of the writing which I disliked was the constant descriptions of the female vagina being narrated as anything other than a vagina. They were numerous from beginning to end. I mean, really, when in the real world do women refer to their vagina as their "treasure chest", "forbidden fruit" or "kitty-kat"? And the descriptive masterpieces kept on coming. Yeah, intended joke. How about this description of a guy's penis, "It was thick and long and perfectly tanned, as if it had been strategically placed on an Italian beach at high noon." Or how about his "licorice candy", "meaty pistol" or "hard torpdeo"? It was all too much for me and instead of the sexual scenes being arousing, as I'm sure they were intended to be, I was taken out the book by the descriptions. The sexual scenes in the book are often very graphic which is in contrast to the pictures that grace each chapter of the book. Bar one picture, each chapter begins with a full paged photograph of Heather Hunter. Oddly, they're all very much PG rated which seemed strange considering it's very graphic in the literary content and Ms Hunter has made her fame as a porn star. My only interpretation of this would be that the publishers decided that a nude, or in action, Heather Hunter might turn off a female audience and so decided to keep things tasteful. It's in this assumption, as well as the glamorization of the writing, that I'm left somewhat confused as to who the projected audience is for this book. Being a female porn star you would think men would have primary interest in Heather Hunter but the writing is definitely written from, and aimed at, a female perspective. It appears then that both male and female audiences were being targeted but with more of an emphasis on making the story appealing to the women and the lure of Heather Hunter being used as the bait to reel in the men. Guess I solved my own confusion. Overall, this isn't a bad novel. It was a novel that just wasn't really for me. Michelle Valentine is a good writer whose style romanticizes the rise of Simone to that of a porn star. I would have preferred the novel to have been more gritty and realistic but ultimately I guess I was just one of those fish caught in Heather Hunter's fish net lured there by an eye catching book cover....more
There's that old adage that one should never judge a book by its cover and I tried very hard not too concerning this book. After all, what could be moThere's that old adage that one should never judge a book by its cover and I tried very hard not too concerning this book. After all, what could be more hilarious than a front cover consisting of a grumpy looking Big Show on the back of a bike with Rey Mysterio driving it in a posed picture?!? Yep, almost everything up to and including Larry the Cable Guy and he makes me wish television had never been invented. Being a WWE fan however I felt the need to persevere into the unknown and actually give this book a try...for how bad could it actually be? First off, I should mention this was first printed back in 2005 so a lot of the superstars whose stories appear in the book have either moved on to other wrestling organizations or have left wrestling altogether. For a lifelong fan like me that's no problem but if you're fairly new to wrestling, and think the PG era is how the WWE has always been, then you may not know many of the wrestlers who appear in this anthology of true tales of life on the road...Jazz, Chris Nowinski, Rico, Ivory??? They were all on the WWE roster back in 2005 but only the die hard fans like myself would probably be familiar with them nowadays. The content of the book is broken down into ten individual chapters each of which showcases a certain aspect of life on the road which is something the WWE wrestlers are very familiar with. According to this book they spend over 240 days a year on the road travelling from one place to the next just to entertain us fans so you just know there's lots of stories to tell. These stories range from very funny (Rico comes to mind as does the story told by Coach), to amusing (three divas in a bed anyone?!?), to "why the hell was that included" (A-Train had me falling asleep) but I was pleased that last category was in the minority. I would have preferred the stories being told been to have been limited to a couple per superstar but, unfortunately, it's very top heavy in certain contributers which means a plethora of memories from Dr Tom Prichard (who I don't believe was actually on the active roster at the time but was working behind the scenes...in my mind that doesn't really qualify him as a superstar) and Al Snow but very few, sometimes none at all, from the real superstars of 2005 such as Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, HHH, Batista etc. Scattered throughout the pages are candid photographs, taken on the road, of WWE superstars of the day. It was a cool concept and I only wish there had been more of them...particularly the divas but that's just a personal preference of mine. Let me mention, if I may, the final chapter of this book. It deals exclusively with...erm, how do I put this? Let me just lay it out there! The whole of the final chapter is about Big Show's escapades taking a shit. Yes, an individual chapter devoted solely to a 7ft tall 485lb guy and his experiences of pinching a load in various places where the bathroom/toilet was too small to accommodate him. I will say no more. I was fully expecting to grapple with this book but it surprised me and it turned out to be an enjoyable read and an interesting look behind the scenes of the the lives of WWE wrestlers. I learned a little more about the wrestlers real life personalities - for instance Randy Orton visits out of the way strip clubs just to have a laugh at how ugly the strippers are - and what it must be like constantly travelling from one city to the next on an almost daily basis. It seems far less glamorous than I would expect it to be....more
Now that, my friends, is a book cover. I love great art on the cover of a novel and, in my mind, Winter Warriors certainly falls into that category. INow that, my friends, is a book cover. I love great art on the cover of a novel and, in my mind, Winter Warriors certainly falls into that category. If being picky I would have the bird removed but as it has a significance in the story it's fine where it is. Winter Warriors is the tale of three ageing warriors who are thrust to the forefront of a fight against demonic forces. Those forces, to be unleashed upon the world in all their evil fury, need the sacrificial blood of three kings. The first two come easily but the third is who the story revolves around. The third king is actually heir to the throne as he is yet to be born when the novel begins. The three warriors Nogusta who is a great swordsman, Kebra the Bowman and Bison the giant vow to protect the unborn child and his mother, the queen, with their lives. Do they succeed? As any regular visitors to my blog know I love David Gemmell's work. This novel was no exception and it is of course filled with all of Gemmell's hallmarks such as main characters who are easy to relate to, great dialogue, heroic deeds, joy and despair. Yes, despair. He always gets me with the despair and it's very rare I read a Gemmell novel without tears welling up in my eyes at one point or another. It takes a great talent to get me emotionally invested in a novel and great talent is something the author certainly had. I say "had" in the past tense as David Gemmell passed away back in 2006. If you like a supernatural element in your novels then you will find magic, sorcery, demons and spiritual possession within these pages. The story itself would not have worked anywhere near as well without those supernatural elements and so it forms the backbone of the story itself. As much as I loved Winter Warriors I wasn't reading it with blinkers on and there were a few things I didn't like. Firstly, it took a while for the story to drag me in as it focused too much on building up the characters at the beginning - around the first quarter of the book was used to lay the foundation of the story. That paid off in the end when the story reached a climax and I didn't know who was going to die or who was going to survive but the beginning didn't need to be as fleshed out as much as it was. Also, the main city is called Usa, as in oo-sar, but due to conditioning I read it as the name of the country. Perhaps that can be seen as the fault of the reader but I think most people seeing Usa would read it as the abbreviation for United States of America and, for me at least, that kept pulling me out of the story whenever I read it. Overall though this was a magical tale of great quality and wonderful story telling. It was the type of book that left me sad once it had ended and made it difficult to start reading something new....more
The cover of this novel does it no favors whatsoever as it's insipid and firmly rooted in the sc-fi genre. It's a shame because the story told is veryThe cover of this novel does it no favors whatsoever as it's insipid and firmly rooted in the sc-fi genre. It's a shame because the story told is very much a psychological masterpiece. However, if you're not a science fiction fan this cover isn't very likely to draw you in as it only screams "SCI-FI!!!!" in your face...then by the wayside it no doubt falls. So let me make this perfectly clear; even though it has it's roots in sci-fi 'Ender's Game' is far more than a novel based in that particular genre. Andrew 'Ender' Wiggins is a child genius who is recruited, at a very young age, by the military to be trained in the art of war for an ongoing battle with an alien race known as the 'Buggers'. Due to Ender being a genius at such a young age he is shunned by the majority of other kids. Even at the military academy which is full of slightly older children, who are also being trained due to their own high IQs, he is often an object of scorn and jealousy which makes him focus even more on his education. The education often takes the form of various games. These games range from out and out military combat exercises to computer simulations and games that vigorously test his mental skills and reasoning. It's in this psychological aspect that the story excels as we're dragged into Ender's world, Ender's mind, and get to know everything that he is thinking and the logic behind his reasoning. As Ender is very much a sympathetic figure, and constantly bullied, we feel his pain and revel in his triumphs when he outsmarts those who torment him. Even though Andrew Wiggins is taken away from his family at a young age we never lose touch with his siblings as his older, psychotic brother, and his polar opposite sister who are both geniuses in their own right, form the basis of a back story which intertwines with Ender's story at various points throughout the book. Neither his brother or sister made it to the military academy due to psychological faults. His brother, Peter, is borderline psychotic and prone to constant violent acts. His sister, Valentine, is very passive and both of their personality traits play a major part in the novel. It's only towards the end that the novel truly becomes sci-fi with space battles and colonizing of new worlds but even if you are not a science fiction fan you will have been hooked long before then and will be turning the pages with such gusto they will leave friction marks on your fingers. This truly is a great work of literature that deserved the Hugo and Nebula awards which were bestowed upon it. As for Ender you would be hard pressed to find a more wonderfully orchestrated character in any genre of literature; Card, through his words, waves the baton and we eagerly listen attentive and on the edge of our seats to Ender's symphony that the author expertly conducts....more
'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' is described as "a novel in cartoons" on the front cover of the book which totally goes against its title which claims the book'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' is described as "a novel in cartoons" on the front cover of the book which totally goes against its title which claims the book is a diary. Whichever it is, and I'm siding with Team Diary on this one, it's certainly popular. So popular is the series that the fifth book was released last year (that made five books in two and a half years), a second movie is released next month (March 2011), and countless merchandising opportunities have made Mr Kinney a very rich man indeed. And you know what? I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. If you're not familiar with the series then it centers around the main character of Rodrick who, as you will have guessed, is a wimpy kid. We follow his life, thoughts and experiences through his diary entries nearly all of which are accompanied by an illustration or two. The diary entries are very light hearted and the writing shows some clever humor at times. However, and perhaps this is because I am beyond the age group this is aimed at, I never really found it funny. Sure, it put a smile on my face here and there but overall I found it lacking in genuinely funny moments...kind of like my book reviews now I think about it. One of the biggest appeals of this book is the ease of which one can pick up their copy and fall directly into the story. There's no need to really know about the characters as the situations they find themselves a part of directly reflect who they are. For instance, you will have the intellectually challenged Rowley acting, well, intellectually challenged no matter what the situation. It's that simple. Also simplistic is the story line in that there really isn't one and how much more simple can a story be when it has no real storyline?!? Sure, diary entries link to one another and the main theme is the happenings of Rowley's school year but it's not like there's any real plot. In that respect it works well as a bedtime read for a younger child, spread across nights/weeks, as there isn't any plot that they have to recall. As an aside the whole diary concept isn't particularly original and has been done many times before. My favorite of these would be the Adrian Mole series by Sue Townsend. If you're not familiar with Adrian Mole the books are aimed at a more mature audience, without illustrations, and are genuinely laugh out loud funny. Perhaps it's where Mr Kinney got his ideas from?...more
With so much of America experiencing extreme winter weather this season it seemed apt that I review 'Superman:The Never-Ending Battle' as it's a novelWith so much of America experiencing extreme winter weather this season it seemed apt that I review 'Superman:The Never-Ending Battle' as it's a novel that has extreme weather at the forefront of the storyline. This novel is part of six individual Justice League of America novels that make a complete series. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and The Flash all have their own book where they are the main character. The sixth book in the series is a more generalized novel whereby they all work together. That's not to say that Superman, for instance, is the only character in the Superman novel but rather he is the main focus of the novel with the other members of the Justice League playing more minor roles. I have to admit to not liking the cover of this novel, or any of the covers for that matter, in the individual hero series. Each one focuses on one aspect of the hero and as you can see from the cover of this novel it's the iconic 'S' as the shirt rips open for Superman. That works okay I suppose, in an attention grabbing kind of way, but doesn't translate as well to the other members of the Justice League especially the Batman cover which looks like someone took a photograph but didn't manage to get Batman's full face in the shot. The storyline sees the various members of the Justice League battling the weather. Oh how we could have done with them this winter! From blizzards to hurricanes the country is being besieged by inclement weather and our heroes are trying to save the lives of the innocent people affected...and through it all Wonder Woman still fails to put on some thermals. This obviously works better for some members than others with Green Lantern being able to manipulate his green energy into anything his mind can come up with. Some of the situations our heroes find themselves in are a tad cliche. For instance, Martian Manhunter who is afraid of fire has to help stop a forest fire brought on by intense heat and Green Lantern has to erect a green energy barrier to stop a tsunami before it reaches land. In each of those situations it would have been easy to predict the hero who was going to be involved stopping the disaster to anyone familiar with the characters. One member of the Justice League not battling the weather is Batman. He is busy investigating the cause of the outbreaks and, of course, there is a super villain behind the extreme weather. Batman's role worked well within the story and, in many ways, he had more of an effect on the story than Superman did. The character of Superman is written very well and we get to see the human element of him as much as, if not more than, the superhero aspect. As such there are wonderful exchanges between Kal-El and his human parents as well as with Lois and Bruce Wayne. This really added a depth to the book and raised the story to beyond the regular fare of good versus evil. One aspect I didn't like was Wonder Woman flying around in her invisible plane. I feel that unless the hero involved is somehow fully associated with their gadgets and gizmos, such as Spider-Man with his web shooters, Gambit with his deck of cards or Batman with his utility belt, then anything else just waters down the character. I think what really irks me about Diana's plane is that she is a superhero who can fly. Speaking of Wonder Woman and Superman:
Superman is on his way back to the Daily Planet when he flies over Wonder Woman's house noticing that her bedroom window is wide open. He stops for a quick look and sees that she is laying on her bed naked squirming around and looking real hot. Superman, caught up in his lust thinks, "I could just fly in there at super-speed, have a quick in and out and be gone before she even knows what's happened." So in he goes...wham bam thank you ma'am and then he's out of there in the blink of an eye. Wonder Woman sensing something has occurred says, "What was that?" to which the Invisible Man replies, "I don't know but, f*ck, is my ass sore!"
Anyhow, I enjoyed this novel and while it's by no means a classic it's very well written and well worth a read....more
If you didn't know already there's a game you can play with the cover of a lot of these zombie novels about nowadays. I've named it 'Guess the CelebriIf you didn't know already there's a game you can play with the cover of a lot of these zombie novels about nowadays. I've named it 'Guess the Celebrity Zombie' and it involves who the zombies on the cover may, or may not, be based upon. In the case of Pallid Light I see Ben Kingsley as the main male zombie and Tina Fey as the lead female. Over the shoulder of Tina as we look at the cover there's Shirley Temple and Christina Ricci to the right of her. Surprisingly Ice-Man of the X-Men makes an appearance just to the left of Ricci and Napoleon Dynamite is to the left of him. In between Kingsley and Fey we have WWE superstar Edge and to the left of Kingsley we have...okay couldn't come up with a likeness for her but feel free to name her yourself. Getting past the cover and onto the novel itself the story takes place in a small town named Temperance where on a rainy night the dead begin rising from their graves. Always small towns. If we just cremated everyone we would never have these zombie problems so think of that option for yourself less you arise one day as one of the undead! The story starts off quite well with the hero being an anti-hero, if that makes sense, and it had me turning the pages quicker than I had anticipated. Unfortunately the good start begins to drag by the time the first third of the book is done and from there on in it became a bit of a chore to get through. In fact the only piece of story that dragged me from my boredom occurred at the beginning of chapter 11 when I got an unintentional laugh; "Cada tugged off Paul's slicker..." Ha! Lucky man! Upon a re-read I figured out his slicker is actually his raincoat or poncho or something akin to one of those. Other than the silly innuendo there was nothing else in the novel to put a smile on my face. The problem for me was that the story never really evolved and it was a case of the same, sprinkled from time to time with a few different, characters reliving the same type of situations just in different places around Temperance. Add in a plethora of spelling errors and the enjoyment level wasn't particularly high. The ending is also weak and is left open with no conclusion and no explanations for some of the mysteries presented throughout the novel (for instance, why was Jimmy rounding everyone up?). In fact, near the very end the main character Randall Clay, whose name kept reminding me of Randall Flagg from Steven King's 'The Stand' (an ode to one of the author's favorite characters perhaps), puts a gun under his chin and contemplates pulling the trigger and I couldn't help but sympathize as after trawling through this novel I felt like doing the same....more
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