I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, I don't always. Sometimes though a cover is especially eye-catching and I can't help but buy or add it to my TBR mountain. Today I feature three fronts which look fantastic. All three books are written by the same author, Paul Cave. The Keep is a fantastic novella which I reviewed (REVIEW HERE) some time back, it's had it's front refreshed along side his other books Cold light of Day and Dead Until Dawn.
About the author Paul developed a keen sense of imagination whilst reading dark fiction and watching cult horror movies throughout his teenage years. Heavily influenced by the likes of US Horror writer, Robert McCammon, and movie director, John Carpenter, Paul likes to take a seemingly normal character and put them into an extraordinary situation. AMAZON | GOODREADS | WEBSITE Keith’s in his early twenties. No girlfriend, no hobbies, no future. He spends his days working in an office and his evenings, weekends and just about all his free time looking after his alcoholic dad. And then the zombie apocalypse changes everything. Suddenly Keith’s free. For the first time in a long time, he’s got nothing to worry about (apart from several hundred thousand reanimated corpses heading his way). But then he meets Anna, and everything changes again. Cocky, cool, confident… she’s everything Keith isn’t. Holed-up together in an isolated bungalow, besieged by the living dead, will they survive, or will they tear each other apart before the dead get anywhere near? Review David Moody does it again! A fatal virus has turned most of the world’s population into mindless infected masses of rotting flesh wandering the earth without aim or purpose. Again, characterization is at the forefront of Moody’s story. The main protagonist is Keith; Keith is a nobody, a loner, abused by his father who is a drunk and someone who Keith blames for his mother departure. Keith is ignored and in some cases despised by his workmates and during one meeting where Keith is receiving his marching orders for his incompetence, an unexpected catastrophe takes place, everyone dies. This suddenness of the event is extremely fast, Keith’s reaction is what anyone would do, he heads home in a state of shock and unable to comprehend what has happened. Before Keith can make sense of what has transpired or construct a plan as to what he will do; events take a turn for the worse. People rise from the dead, stumbling around pointlessly. One of these is Keith’s father. Keith must then leave the safety of his bedroom and find sanctuary elsewhere, dodging the now aggressive hordes of zombies along the way. During a very close, physical encounter with a zombie in a supermarket Keith is saved by a teenage girl named Anna, they hold up in a small bungalow in the centre of an enclosed park, a relatively safe location. At this point in the story the zombies take a back seat and the characterisation, reactions and emotions of Keith and Anna make for an absorbing post-apocalyptic story. During a trip to scavenge for supplies events occur that change Keith and Anna’s relationship. Moody’s depiction of how their characters develop after the event is enthralling. Keith in particularly see’s the zombies for what they really are, easily dispatched and a non-threat. There’s plenty of gore, decapitation and violence. Anna is no longer the cocky, confident girl from the beginning, she needs Keith more than he needs her and this completely changes the dynamic of their relationship. Keith’s character metamorphoses from the useless and scared to the, what he declares himself, “king of the dead”. He might be “king of the dead” but what about the rest of the living? As a massive fan of Moody’s work, I was saddened to hear that this is his last zombie book for a while but excited and looking forward to what else he has in store. With isolation I was once again blown away by the recognisable settings and relatable yet engrossing characters. A gripping read. Treated to four more short stories within this book, all with different takes on zombie fiction, it’s a must have for zombie lovers, people who love gore and violence and people who love stories with exceptional characterisation. It’s one that’s not to be missed. Synopsis Twisted Dark is Neil Gibson's interconnected psychological thriller anthology. This, the first volume, is formed of 12 individual and unique stories comprising of nearly 200 hundred pages. The stories vary from 10 year old girls to Colombian drug lords and everything in between but the stories are all somehow connected some obviously so and some not. It is left to the reader to find the connections, with some impossible to see until you have read multiple volumes. The books contains horror, dark, at times demented, stories incorporating every human emotion, illegal activity, and brutal reality. Using various illustrators allows each story and character to develop their own form the reader is left desperate to turn the pages. The book has been embraced by the comic book world receiving critical acclaim and a cult underground following. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Neil is the founder and lead writer at TPub. He is currently writing all of the titles at TPub, but is looking forward to the day when other writers are hired he can take credit for their work. He used to be a management consultant, before realising in his 30s that he loved good comics and wanted to make a career out of them. He believes that the comic book medium is one of the most efficient mediums for communicating stories. If you want to annoy him, just mention how you think comics are for kids. His reaction is a common source of amusement. He has given talks in universities and clubs about comics and will gladly talk anywhere he is invited to about comics and how underutilised they really are. To book Neil to give a talk, please email [email protected] Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 17+ to Enter
2 Winners will receive an E-Copy of Twisted Dark by Neil Gibson. 1 Winner will receive a $20.00 Amazon Gift Card.
Apocalypse Now meets The Lord of the Rings in a bold new fantasy from the acclaimed author of the Iron Elves trilogy, filled with "heroic action that keeps fans coming back" (Publishers Weekly). Channeling the turbulent period of the Vietnam War and its ruthless pitting of ideologies, cultures, generations, and races against each other, military historian and acclaimed fantasy writer Chris Evans takes a daring new approach to the traditional world of sword and sorcery by thrusting it into a maelstrom of racial animus, drug use, rebellion, and a growing war that seems at once unwinnable and with no end in sight. In this thrilling epic, right and wrong, country and honor, freedom and sacrifice are all put to the ultimate test in the heart of a dark, bloody, otherworldly jungle. In this strange, new world deep among the shadows under a triple-canopy jungle and plagued by dangers real and imagined, soldiers strive to fulfill a mission they don’t understand and are ill-equipped to carry out. And high above them, the heavy rush of wings slashing through the humid air herald a coming wave of death and destruction, and just possibly, salvation. Review ARC received from NetGalley I enjoy fantasy books; I enjoy war films but had never delved into the genre when it came to literature. Described as “Apocalypse now meets The Lord of the Rings”, this book caught my eye. Evans, an author whose work I haven’t read, has a new fan. Of bone and Thunder is one of the few books which have blown me away. An interweaving of Vietnam combat and scenery with themes that are more commonly found in fantasy made this book both original and captivating. Different races, magic, dragons and medieval weaponry made for an every turn of the page more enjoyable than the previous. The first part of the book isn’t steeped in action; it is more world building and character development which to me as a reader is just as entertaining, I like to believe in the world I am reading about, therefore setting the scene is paramount. Politics, drug use and the hunt through unfamiliar territory for an elusive enemy are some similarities between the book and the Vietnam conflict. For me, including themes and situations that ran parallel to a real-life conflict added to the verisimilitude of the story. I also enjoyed the dialogue between soldiers, the bloke-ish banter, cursing and the use of acronyms as you would expect on the front line. The characters within the book are well defined, each fascinating, with their own personalities, flaws and beliefs regarding the war. This makes for dynamic relationships, with moments of conflict and friendship. From action scenes to epic battles, soaring through the air on Rags/dragons or simply scouting the jungles of the enemies’ native lands; the detail with which Evans writes is so captivating and vividly descriptive, it engulfs the reader and gave me an almost cinematic experience. It would be awesome to see this turned into a movie. A fascinating story narrated from the viewpoints of several service men with different roles within the war against the “Slyts”. An incredible interlacing of their experiences which all lead to the conclusion and an action packed, heroic and emotional ending. A compelling story of courage, leadership and sacrifice. Highly recommended for lovers of fantasy and military fiction. This cover is one which comes up a lot on my post apocalyptic novel recommendations. The cover itself doesn't give much away, in fact I wouldn't have guessed it was a post-apocalyptic novel. The cover uses contrasting colors to great effect and the typography is very effective. Having now read the blurb I am still no closes to unveiling what the cause of the downfall of society is or what haunts the characters within the book, which is exactly why I've added this to my TBR list, very intriguing. Have you read it, what did you think? Bird Box by Josh Malerman Most people ignored the outrageous reports on the news. But they became too frequent, they became too real. And soon, they began happening down the street. Then the Internet died. The television and radio went silent. The phones stopped ringing. And we couldn't look outside anymore. Malorie raises the children the only way she can; indoors. The house is quiet. The doors are locked, the curtains are closed, mattresses are nailed over the windows. They are out there. She might let them in. The children sleep in the bedroom across the hall. Soon she will have to wake them. Soon she will have to blindfold them. Today they must leave the house. Today they will risk everything
Happy Tuesday and welcome to my Trailer and Teaser Talk, not only am I a massive fan of books but I'm also a huge fan of movies. Each week I'll post a trailer of the movie that has caught my attention and has me dying to watch it. I loved the original Mad Max movies so it was great to hear that they are producing a remake starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Both great actors. The movies is set to be released on the 15th May 2015, it's a long wait but by the looks of the trailer it will be well worth it. Mad Max: Fury Road |
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