Featured author: J Hamlet – The Chaos Theology #1

Today I'm playing host to author J Hamlet, author of The Chaos Theology. So, take a look, and check out the Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of this post.


Title: Hand of Chaos
Series: The Chaos Theology #1
Author: J Hamlet
Publication Date: September 4, 2013
Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy

Synopsis
Exhausted, cynical, and confused, Anna is always there to report for duty. She's part of a clandestine government team that defends the nation against supernatural terrorism—a job that understandably leaves her life in shambles and drives her to drink a little more than she should. Toss in a fear of intimacy with a desire to have friends and lovers like a normal person and, well, Anna is a troubled soul wrapped in a special agent with arcane, magical powers. Waking up hungover at five–­thirty in the morning with a zombie­–infested apartment building in the heart of DC to deal with, she knows she's got the makings of the worst morning possible.

Her team is its own challenge. A battle­–scarred Nigerian shaman, a bookish shape­shifter, an inept summoner, and a brilliant but cantankerous wizard round it all out. Her partner, an immortal and cursed Paladin, is the only person she knows more jaded than herself. Getting them all to work together is never easy, with Anna often caught in the cross fire.

Their target, Ethan Morgan, is one pissed off necromancer. His brother was KIA by his own government, the victim of an experimental magical weapon they decided to test on the battlefield. Now bent on revenge and sponsored by one of hell's most powerful demons, Ethan has a plan of his own to make us all pay. Anna and her team are fighting against the wake of destruction, but Ethan is always one step ahead. With the number of bodies he leaves and reanimates growing exponentially, Anna's wondering if they'll stop him before he engulfs everyone in an undead horde.

Buy Links
Amazon  |  Goodreads

Author Bio

Everyone needs a hobby. And, like most people, I hope one day that my hobby will liberate me from my mind–­numbing day job. I chose writing. Not one of the easier ones. I chose it at the tender age of 14, churning out terrible science fiction novels that heaped on the cliches and barely hidden tropes of all space operas. Thankfully, those creations reside in the prison of an old Commodore 64 hard drive and several 3.5" disks (kids, ask your parents) in a landfill somewhere. And, let me be clear, the world is better for it.

Along the way, I kept writing. Through college. Through grad school. Through the beginning of my career, such as it is. I like to believe I picked up skills. I wanted to write novels that had things I wanted to see. Hand of Chaos, my debut novel, brings together elements of a spy thriller and a police procedural with dark and urban fantasy. I followed that with Scarred Earth, a serial alien invasion novel I'm releasing entirely through tumblr. I'm probably going about this all wrong, but I don't know any other way.

Social Media Links
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Pinterest  |  Tumblr

Giveaway: There is a giveaway for this tour. A $50 Amazon/B&N Giftcard or a Book Depository shopping spree of the same value.

Open Internationally. Ends 9/15.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence #review

Title: Emperor of Thorns (#3 of The Broken Empire)
Author: Mark Lawrence
Publisher: Ace, 2013

Finally I got to finish this trilogy, and it’s a lovely feeling of completion for someone like me who rarely manages to follow through with a challenge of this nature. Jorg as a character is fascinating. When we meet him in book one, he’s impulsive and prone to perpetrate horrendous acts of violence. Not much has changed by book three, and he still very much possesses the ability to act before he thinks, but his motivations (in his mind) are clearer. Here is a man who cares deeply about two things: his family (latent guilt toward his brother’s death) and also claiming the emperor’s throne. He proves again and again, that he’s not afraid to sacrifice anything and anyone to get what he wants. This might upset some. [Okay, that was totally an understatement but jawellnofine] ← **more laughter**

While at the start of his journey, he primarily wants the throne simply for the sake of having it (that’s how I see it, at least) his motivations have shifted somewhat near the end. Now Jorg wants that throne because he knows he’s the only one with the will and the knowledge to save the world from certain fiery destruction (possibly also motivated by the fact that he wants to leave some sort of legacy for his son).

As always, Mark Lawrence treads a tricky path with his narrative running on different timelines, with multiple story arcs that cross reference each other. The jumping between past and present will no doubt infuriate readers who like linear stories. At times I felt there was a little withholding of key information, but the pace is so fast, and Jorg is such an unreliable narrator, that I was happy to cling on for the ride.

Jorg is ever the ladies’ man [says the reviewer amid sick laughter], and his relationship with three vastly different (and dangerous) women is complex. Katherine’s fate is still inextricably twined with Jorg’s, bitter as their past grievances are, and Miana is anything but the shy, retiring damsel. As the mother of Jorg’s son, she proves to be every bit as ruthless as the father when it comes to protect family, and as such perfectly complements Jorg. Chella the necromancer is introduced as a viewpoint character, which is a little jarring at first for those of us accustomed to Jorg’s first-person narrative. Her observations are nonetheless key to the story, and offer valuable insight.

As can be expected in one of Lawrence’s novels, bloodshed, carnage and large-scale destruction is never far away. I am also glad that he decided to irrevocably stamp this story with “the end”, and resist the temptation of a drawn-out multi-book series prone to the exhaustion of ever-escalating “too much awesome”.

The resolution of The Broken Empire trilogy is apt. To be honest, I hadn’t been quite sure where Lawrence was going with it, but when it happened, I sat back with a small smile. Jorg is the kind of guy who likes solutions. The only problem is his solutions aren’t always to the liking of the affected parties.

Dear Mark, thank you for showing us Jorg’s world, and I look forward to reading more of your books in the future.

Coercion by Lux Zakari #review

Title: Coercion
Author: Lux Zakari, 2014

Valerie Mercer has undergone a transformation. No longer labelled as the overweight ugly duckling, she has followed her aunt’s advice and has shed kilos. The only problem is that she’s lost none of her insecurities.

Michael Vartanian doesn’t know what he wants. And his on again, off again relationship with his girlfriend Breeze is a source of great discontent to both of them. Even though he can’t seem to stay away from her, he still has a wandering eye. Also, the thing that I picked up from him is that he purposefully avoids facing up to his own shortcomings. I don’t blame Breeze for treating him the way she does. The boy needs a serious wake-up call.

If you’re looking for a new adult-type romance with a HEA then this is not going to be the story for you. As always, Zakari writes authentic characters who make poor decisions and have to deal with the fallout from their mistakes.

The bottom line is that Valerie’s insecurities mean that Michael basically walks all over her. His blatant callous attitude would send any girl with a shred of self-worth running. Not so with Valerie, who spends months moping after this fiend. A sexy fiend, but a fiend nonetheless. She has no rational explanation as to why she allows him to use her, and she keeps going back for more.

I can understand that this might be a turn-off to some readers who want a gallant badboy type with a good heart. Michael is most emphatically not the man you are looking for.

Their sexual encounters are steamy and illicit, but they are tainted by Michael’s casual cruelty. Valerie makes the prime error of mistaking lust for love, and my heart ached for her even as I wanted to deliver a swift slap to the side of her head.

Yet there is a glimmer of hope. Valerie’s pain is a crucible for her, and although she goes through a difficult time – don’t we all at that age? – she is stronger for it, and I enjoyed seeing her learn to stand her ground.

This isn’t my favourite of Zakari’s writing, but it’s nonetheless still good. There’s a wry, barbed undercurrent that’s present in all her works I’ve read so far, and she weaves an eminently readable slice of life, love and passion.

Legionnaire by James Gawley #review

Title: Exiles of Arcadia: Legionnaire
Author: James Gawley, 2013

One might be forgiven for initially suspecting this novel to be historical fiction set during the Roman era, but it’s definitely a work of fantasy. We find ourselves in the empire of Arcadia, where a renegade general has established his forces in a far-flung outpost.

Legionnaire is chiefly a coming-of-age story for the young Primus Seneca, whose father is a general of the exiled forces. Military life is all Primus knows – he grew up essentially abandoned by both parents – and we later discover General Marcus Seneca pushed his son away primarily because he reminded him too much of his estranged wife.

This abandonment does not prevent Primus from trying for personal excellence, though he is inexperienced and his idealism is great. He battles through difficult choices – guilt over a fellow soldier’s death, his friend’s desertion, and an obvious cover-up and framing – which have their repercussions later. Primus works out in his mind what it is to be honourable, and to do what is right, even when faced by overwhelming odds and the very real threat of death.

This is a short novel, which appears to be part of a series. If military fiction with great attention to detail is your thing, then this may well appeal to you. I liked the fact that this was a fantasy setting without overt magic. That being said, if the author had wanted to opt for straight historical fiction, he’d probably prove to be a dab hand at it as well. The setting has a nice ring of authenticity to it.

Some may find Gawley’s style a little spare – I didn’t feel any great emotional range in the writing, but I still enjoyed the unfolding story very much. The world-building is vivid, and tactile, which offered me a precise glimpse into the physicality of the milieu. This one may well be worth pursuing.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins #review

Title: Catching Fire (book #2 of The Hunger Games)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic, 2009

It’s always tricky to review a novel that has had so much hype surrounding it, and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is no exception. We continue from where things were left off in book one for our plucky heroine, Katniss Everdeen, who discovers that her reward as victor of the Hunger Games is not all it’s cracked up to be.

She’d hoped to enjoy a life of quiet comfort with her family, and perhaps pursue her intended love interest, Gale, but there’s the not-so-small matter of her much-televised engagement to Peeta. And, of course, the rather dastardly President Snow, who’s coercing her to get married.

In surviving the Hunger Games, Katniss has unwittingly become the figurehead of a rebellion and the districts are on the verge of open revolt. She has no choice but to go along with Snow’s plans, because he has threatened her loved ones.

While the first half of the story leads you to believe that Katniss will begin to get actively involved in overthrowing the Capitol, she and all the victors from the past 25 years find themselves swept up in a Reaping again – this time as unwilling participants in the Quarter Quell games.

In this sense, Catching Fire is doomed to repeat the theme of The Hunger Games and doesn’t cover much in the way of new ground. It lacks some of the uncertainty and tension that we faced in the first book.

Once again, and perhaps regrettably so, Katniss is robbed of the opportunity to explore the moral issues surrounding the act of having to kill others to survive while providing entertainment for the masses. This time it is thanks to a hostile arena that conveniently does the killing on players’ behalf – verging on deus ex machina to a degree. When she does kill, the act hardly seems to make a dent on her emotionally or intellectually and the victim is reduced to a mere name.

As a character, Katniss doesn’t grow much; she is still as self-absorbed as she was in The Hunger Games and I was often left wondering about what redeeming qualities (beyond her propensity for self-sacrifice to save others) she possessed. Her childish outbursts at key moments didn’t make me warm to her either. I suspect she appeals to readers in her blandness, as a sort of everywoman.

Catching Fire is still an engaging read despite pacing issues of the first half, touching on many issues that make dystopian settings so fascinating.

The First Ravensmoot: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction edited by Marius du Plessis #review

Title: The First Ravensmoot: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction
Edited by: Marius du Plessis
Publisher: Fox & Raven Publishing, 2013

With the publishing industry in such a state of flux, it’s lovely to see South African small presses step forward to take an active interest in speculative fiction. In this anthology, Marius du Plessis has gathered six outstanding authors from around the globe, including South Africa, each with a strong voice and vision.

“Passing Visions” by Martin John Stokes introduces us to a clinical psychologist named Indiana Golding whose patient proves to be troubled by something way beyond Golding’s ken. It was clear from the start that the man’s arrogance was going to prove his downfall.

I’m no stranger to Nyki Blatchley’s writing and in “The Triarchy’s Emissary”, we follow the female warrior Edralit’s quest to protect an empress. What I love about Blatchley’s writing is that he often features strong female leads and isn’t afraid to treat LGBT themes in a fantasy setting.

“The Dead City Blues” by Yelena Calavera takes us to a changed Joburg where only the Dreamers have survived the apocalypse – and the big dangers lies with nightmares yet to be confronted, which if you’re not careful, take on tangible and dangerous forms.

“Pigs in Golfs” by Mia Arderne juxtaposes a vicious serial sexual predator’s doings with the lives of a couple, and mixes in a whiff of illegal street racing. I must admit I was put off by what I felt to be the almost gratuitous violence against women, and this story didn’t work for me though it was well written.

“The Terminal Move” by Dilman Dila reads like the kind of story you’d hear an old shaman share by the fireside, and tells us about Laceng, who helps his tribe overcome evil, zombie-like creatures and a race of giants in order to claim a new homeland.

Anton Sim’s “Project Hydra” is a suitably creepy offering and very little becomes more nightmarish than a dystopian corporate hell. Sim writes with an underlying touch of dark humour that left me wanting more – a perfect way to conclude this anthology.

Overall, Du Plessis has proved to have a keen eye for high-quality material and has presented a diverse selection that is well worth adding to any serious lover of speculative fiction’s collection. This is a publisher worth keeping an eye out for.

Bloody Parchment 2014

The SA HorrorFest Bloody Parchment short story competition, event and anthology has been going for quite a while now. While not exclusively a horror-themed event, Bloody Parchment nevertheless gives precedence to horror and dark, speculative fiction. 

I'm also pleased to announce that the 2014 short story competition is now officially open, and if you fancy yourself a horror writer, then head over to the official Bloody Parchment blog for further information. 

We're busy pulling together the 2013 competition winners in an anthology we hope to release in time for the 2014 event. And, yes, I get this question often... "Can I enter more than one story?"

Yes, you can, but I'll be straight up and say, I'd rather see one faboo entry from each author than multiple shizzy ones. 

And that's pretty much it. Do show your appreciation for the past finalists, by picking up the previous volumes: 

1 (free download off Goodreads)

2 Lost Things, Hidden Things and Other Stories

3 The Root Cellar and Other Stories

PS, if you absolutely MUST ask me a question, you can email me at nerinedorman@gmail.com

Luna's Children – Rachel A Brune

Tonight's guest is Rachel A Brune, who's one of the Luna's Children contributors. Her short story "Night Run" is about a retired country werewolf Rick Keller who reluctantly leaves his northern Vermont sanctuary to come to the aid of an old friend, whose work with a NYC church youth group is jeopardized by strange energies gathering in the stone cathedral.

She explains: "The character of Rick first appeared in my 2011 NaNoWriMo project. I love werewolves and Cold War spy novels, and the two kind of collided in my head. While I was revising and editing the novel, Cold Run (Untold Press), I saw the submission call for an urban Green Man anthology and drafted 'Night Run'. I was rejected by that project, and another one, before the story found a home with Luna's Children. Victoria also appears in the novel, as a minor character, and I thought this was a great chance to spend some time with her, and to see how basically the only thing that will motivate Rick to leave his comfortable retirement is a friend in trouble."

Pick up your copy of Stranger Worlds or Full Moon Mayhem.

Excerpt:

The air in the church had a quality to it that I had rarely imbibed outside of old-growth forests. I inhaled deeper, worried. If something out there was wrapping my senses around themselves, I was in trouble. I reached down inside and gently stretched for the change, coaxing it close to the surface, inviting it to tell me the truth of what I saw.
“You feel it?” asked Victoria, whispering.
“Yes,” I said, whispering back. It seemed like the right thing to do. “It’s amazing.”
“You know what it is?” she asked.
“No,” I said. It smelled of dirt and growing things and the midday August sun as it soaked into the deep forest. It called the change out of me, and here on the cusp of the moonrise, I trembled as I forced myself to stay upright.
“Are you going to be able to you get rid of it?” she asked.
“Get rid of it?” I asked. “Why the fu—heck would you want to do that?” I caught myself from swearing just in time. I was in a church.
“Attendance at the Center has gone down continuously the past three months,” she said. “Even the regular masses have been affected.”
“What? Why?”
“The kids can’t explain,” she said. “They just say something’s creepy, and then one day they stop coming.”

Bio:
Rachel A Brune writes short fiction, long fiction, songs, screenplays, poetry and operations orders. A former Army journalist, she lives in North Carolina with her husband, two dogs and three cats. She blogs her adventures, writing and otherwise, at http://www.infamous-scribbler.com.

Bobby by Elizabeth Pienaar #review

Title: Bobby
Author: Elizabeth Pienaar
Publisher: Human & Rousseau, 2013

Okay, this is a review quite by accident, as this is a book that fell on my desk, and it’s not my chosen genre (in fact, this is about as far from GrimDark fantasy as you can get). But I will pack all my bats, vampires and bloody swords into my closet and give this a fair and honest review.

First off, though this book is aimed at a young adult readership, I must state that there’s a huge difference between what South African publishers think is appropriate for young adults and what UK or US publishers deem acceptable. Consequently, I’d peg this novel appropriate for ages 10 to 12 or thereabouts, considering that most kids I’ve spoken to are already reading adult books from 12 onward (if not sooner).

Also, a word on the cover art, I suspect they’re aiming at girls. Personally, the cover art was not to my taste, and I’ll leave it at that, because once again, I’m clearly not the intended target market which I suspect might be schools and libraries (in which case this cover art is possibly totally fine for the South African market).

At its heart, this is a story of a dog, Bobby, who ends up homeless and unwanted at a shelter after his owner, Natasha, is murdered; and a girl, Jessie, who is absolutely devastated when her white shepherd dog, Dash, dies. There’s a whiff of paranormal match-making when the deceased Natasha and Dash conspire to bring Bobby and Jessie together, which pretty much sums up the plot.

Highlighted issues are obviously animal rights issues, especially with regard to the way people treat animals like commodities, which did twist at my heart.

However the secondary story arc, about Jessie’s loss and subsequent depression was, in my opinion, not handled well. I kept asking myself what really was wrong with the teen if she couldn’t get past her grief for her dog, because if I were absolutely honest, the child behaved in a manner completely out of proportion to the kind of grief your average person felt.

Now I’ve lost companion animals in my time that I will occasionally still shed a tear over, but nothing to the extent that I’d make myself sick over the dog or cat. Jessie’s obsession with the deceased Dash comes across just ever so slightly creepy, and I’ll be honest that as a reader I struggled to care about her, especially in the light of her self-centredness. I suspect the author wanted to show how much Jessie loved her dog, but there was something unnerving about how she focused so much on the animal to the exclusion of anyone else in her life.

If I think back to my teen years (and looking back in my journals, there were many interests, largely dominated by boys, friends and assorted social shenanigans). Even someone who seeks to isolate herself would frame her state of being against this backdrop of what they’re not – teens are at least socially aware to that degree. And here I also speak from the perspective of someone who has suffered severe depression. It seemed odd to me that Jessie’s entire life revolved around the dog, unless of course the dog itself took on a deeper meaning which was not fully explained.

Bobby is the real star of the show, and I’m almost tempted to say Jessie doesn’t deserve him. He stoically aims to be a good dog, and every step of the way after Natasha dies, he’s shunted aside and neglected. My heart bled for him, especially since he tried so hard to please people. So, as far as characterisation goes, the author does a good job making me empathise with Bobby, but unfortunately not Jessie. Bobby does act as a catalyst for healing, so there is that.

So, for the final verdict, if you’re looking to buy a young reader (10 to 12 or thereabouts) a light, uplifting read with an underlying theme of animal welfare, this might be a good choice. Be aware that the main human viewpoint character suffers from severe depression and is inclined toward self harm. (It might be something you want to discuss with the reader if they're fairly young). But if you’re looking for something edgy, with more grit, then this is probably not the book for you.

Luna's Children: James Hoch

Today's guest is fellow Luna's Children contributor James Hoch, who shares about his contribution to the anthology: "After seeing the call for submission to the anthology, I started researching about werewolves, trying to come up with a unique idea. The most interesting topic I discovered came from a 13th century account by St. Thomas Aquinas who said that 'All angels, good and bad, have, by reason of natural power, the ability to transmute our bodies.'  Hmm, transmute … change into what? Further research revealed that in 1692 an 80-year-old man from Jurgenburg claimed that werewolves were actually Hounds of God sent to do battle with demons. Aha … and that led to my short story, 'Hound of God'."

Pick up Full Moon Mayhem ... and Stranger Worlds.

An excerpt:

The demon broke free from one of the bedposts and struck out at the priest. Father Rick raked his long, razor sharp nails down Stephen’s chest making the demon scream louder than ever. “The priest is killing me! Stop him,” he said in Stephen’s innocent voice.
Father Rick dodged a kick from the demon just as the bedpost broke off, releasing the demon.
“Now, let’s really get down to it,” the demon whispered. Imitating a boxing announcer, he shouted, “In this corner …weighing in at three hundred pounds we have Father Dickwad, aka The Werewolf Priest. And over here, we have … me … Satan’s soldier who is going to tear the asshole apart.” The demon inside the skinny teenage boy mutated further. Stephen’s skeletal frame screeched eerily as arms became lengthened and muscles enlarged, raising the teenage boy to a height of seven feet. The demon’s teeth protruded from Stephen’s mouth, resembling the razor sharp fangs of a saber-tooth tiger.
Father Rick lunged at the demon, missing only to slam into the wall.
“Not too smart are you? You’re nothing but a dumb animal,” the demon said, spitting out the words clumsily.
The two creatures circled one another, filling the room with a continuous volley of snarls and growls.

Bio:

Brought up on Thriller, Twilight Zone and Outer Limits, James has kept all his dark friends chained up inside his imagination only to let them out little by little in his novels and short stories. For 38 years, he enjoyed a productive career as a music educator. Retirement gave way to a new creative outlet–writing. SynegEbooks is the publisher of his Crimson Pursuit vampire series and his supernatural post-apocalyptic thriller, HECKEL CASEY, is published by Imajin Books. His sci-fi/technothriller, TATS, is available from Amazon.  Hoch’s short stories have appeared in Horror Zine, SNM Horror magazine, Pill Hill Press, 69 Flavors of Paranoia, Sanitarium, SNM Books of Blood V, Dark Eclipse, and Dark Oak Press.  You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and his website www.jameshoch.com

Featured author: Tera Shanley

Today I welcome fellow Lyrical/Kensington author Tera Shanley to share a little about her novel Silver Wolf Clan, which is book #1 in her Silver Wolf Clan saga.

Tera Shanley writes in sub-genres that stretch from paranormal romance, to historic western romance, to apocalyptic (zombie) romance. The common theme? She loves love. A self-proclaimed bookworm, she was raised in small town Texas and could often be found decorating a table at the local library. She currently lives in Dallas with her husband and two young children and when she isn’t busy running around after her family, she’s writing a new story or devouring a good book. Any spare time is dedicated to chocolate licking, rifle slinging, friend hugging, and the great outdoors. For more information about Tera and her work, visit www.terashanley.com.

Blurb:
What happens when monsters turn out to be real? One summer night while camping in the woods, Morgan Carter finds out in a big way. A tall mysterious stranger, Greyson Crawford, risks his life to try and save her sister from the vicious wolf attacking their camp. When he’s bitten and disappears into the night, Morgan can only assume the worst.
Greyson shows up a year later, and he’s a different animal altogether. His eye color shifts constantly and the rumble in his throat sounds more animal than human. She hasn’t any idea where he’s been all this time, but a good guess as to what he’s become.
Grey is determined not to let the darkness of his new existence affect Morgan and the little girl in her care. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Morgan but knows he should stay away and let her live a normal life. That’s easier said than done, though. A new danger pulls him from the shadows to keep her safe, and he’s no wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Can she accept what lurks just below his surface? More importantly, can she survive him?

Buy links
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Kensington Books

Author links
Facebook, Blog, Twitter, Website, Goodreads


Watch the trailer...



An excerpt:

Grey’s arms and legs were on fire, burning from his very veins, blistering every nerve ending on the way out. Why was the pain tearing through his chest? He tried to hail the woman but nothing came out except a quiet groan. Was he dying? He arched his neck toward her sister. Her body was so mangled it was all but unrecognizable as human. The girl’s eyes were open, fixed, staring back at him. She was dead. Would he die, too? What was that thing? That monster?
Maybe this was all a dream. Maybe he still slept, back in his campsite a quarter of a mile away. He’d been sleeping there only a few minutes ago. Maybe he was just having a vivid night terror and he’d wake at any moment to the relief that this wasn’t real. The girl slid over to him, but he was already panting in pain. Fire in his blood burned him up.
Her mouth moved, but he couldn’t hear anything over the roaring in his ears. Like helicopter blades, the sound drowned out everything. Her lips were full, and when his vision blurred, he tried to focus on her face. She was beautiful. Tiny. Delicate like a hummingbird. Even through spilling tears, the moss green color of her eyes was clear and compelling.
Her voice overcame the screeching in his ears. “What’s your name?”
“Greyson,” he rasped. “Greyson Crawford.” Someone should know who he was. Notify Dad what had happened there in the woods of Enchanted Rock. “What’s yours?” It was getting so hard to breathe. He had to know. He’d leave the world on her name.
“Morgan. My name’s Morgan.”

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins #review

Title: The Hunger Games (book #1 of The Hunger Games)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic

A lot of hype surrounds Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games trilogy. The novels have been international best-sellers and have spawned a successful movie franchise. The premise for the trilogy certainly isn’t new, however, and it can be argued that it was a case of Collins’s manuscript being in the right place at the right time. In 1999 Japanese author Koushan Takami had his novel, Battle Royale, published, and it follows a similar theme – teens in a dystopian future battling it out to the death, their efforts televised.

In Collins’s vision, the region once known as the US has been reduced to 12 districts subservient to a decadent Capitol. Each year, each district has to send tributes – a boy and a girl – to compete in the annual Hunger Games, the ultimate in reality TV. The winner not only gets to live, but will have enough food to eat for the rest of their life, in addition to being a celebrity.

Indeed, there is little that is more chilling than the individual’s objectification and loss of sovereignty. The novel’s apt nod towards ancient Rome is a not-so-subtle dig at the socioeconomic disparities of those times.

Our protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, steps into the arena when she volunteers to take her younger sister’s place as tribute. Her hunting skills also makes her an ideal contender. She is well aware that the stakes are high, but her emotions become conflicted when she gets to know the other candidate from her district – Peeta.

Herein lies the rub – and the almost ubiquitous young adult love triangle. Katniss is in denial about her feelings towards her best friend back in the district, but Peeta has apparently held a torch for Katniss for ages. She just never knew about it until now. While they play out a supposedly sham romance for the benefit of their viewers, Katniss questions her own loyalties. At some point she might have to kill Peeta.

Some might find the casual violence in the novel shocking, but it pales in comparison to the gladiators in the popular television series Spartacus, where main characters kill their opponents without compunction.

The Hunger Games presents an ideal vehicle in which to examine how being in the arena would affect young Katniss. Her kills are mostly by accident rather than design. Katniss faces challenge after challenge, yet one does not step away with the sense that she has grown much as a character. Indeed, in that respect, the ending goes off like the proverbial damp squib.

While The Hunger Games is an adequate dystopian read, by the same measure I feel the hype surrounding it has hugely inflated its popularity. Don’t expect literary fireworks.

Luna's Children: Chuck Miller's 'The Beast'

Today's guest is Chuck Miller, one of the Luna's Children contributors. You can pick up Full Moon Mayhem and Stranger Worlds on Amazon.

We share an excerpt from his story, "The Beast" which Miller says was mainly inspired by the old EC horror comics with the double- and triple-twist endings. Also, the old TV series, The Fugitive.

EXCERPT:

People often ask me whatever became of Count Karl von Magnus, the celebrated monster hunter. I suppose they think I might have special knowledge of his doings, since I come from his home town and he and I are approximately the same age. I always tell them that he passed away quietly at his ancestral home, following a brief and utterly mundane illness.
The truth would be difficult for these people to swallow, and they would most likely spit it back in my face. Were I to reveal that I myself was Count von Magnus, I would not be believed.
My name was not really Karl von Magnus, nor was I ever a count. That was the only cloak of fiction I draped about myself in those days. Everything else about me was authentic. I was a monster hunter-- an extraordinarily gifted one. But the trade, I found out early on, is like many others; one's effectiveness is dependent on one's reputation. An amateur monster-hunter called Johannes Meyer, from a nondescript mountain village, will not inspire as much respect and cooperation as a mysterious Count who hails from everywhere and nowhere, whose origins and abilities are obscured by darkest shadows. 

Biography:
Chuck Miller was born in Ohio, lived in Alabama for many years, and now resides in Norman, Oklahoma, for no real reason. He is a Libra whose interests include monster movies, comic books, music and writing. He holds a BA in creative writing from the University of South Alabama.

He is the creator/writer of Tales of the Black Centipede, The Incredible Adventures of Vionna Valis and Mary Jane Kelly, The Bay Phantom Chronicles, and The Mystic Files of Doctor Unknown Junior. He has also written stories featuring such classic characters as Jill Trent: Science Sleuth, Armless O'Neil, The Griffon, and others.

Miller received the "Best Creeping Dawn: The Rise of the Black Centipede was published in 2011 by Pro Se Press. The second instalment in the Black Centipede series, Blood of the Centipede was published in 2012, and Black Centipede Confidential is slated for release in 2014. Vionna and the Vampires, the first instalment of The Incredible Adventures of Vionna Valis and Mary Jane Kelly, was published earlier in this year.

New Writer of 2011" Award from Pulp Ark. His first novel, the critically acclaimed

Links:
Black Centipede Blog; Amazon.

Full Moon Mayhem with Louise Herring-Jones

Today's visitor is Louise Herring-Jones, whose short story "Gooji" appears in Luna’s Children: Full Moon Mayhem, edited by D. Alan Lewis (Dark Oak Press 2014).

She says: "Several trips to a remote island in Southeastern Alaska inspired me to write a contemporary werewolf story set in some of the last of North America’s wilderness areas. 'Gooji' means 'man-eating wolf' in Tlingit, a native language of SE Alaska. What starts as a joke becomes harsh reality when Gooji, Jake’s hybrid wolf-dog, defends her human from an attack by Skinner, a disreputable sled-dog trainer turned were.'

Excerpt:

Gooji growled and placed her body between Jake and Skinner. The ruff rose on her neck and her tail whipped back and forth in ferocious imitation of her normal happy wag. Skinner, now transformed into a giant yellow wolf, leapt off the porch and charged into Gooji’s chest. The werewolf and wolf-dog met in midair as Gooji jumped away from Jake, her jaws locking with Skinner’s fanged maw.
The pair wrestled, twisting and biting as they rolled over the cleared area in front of the cabin. Jake grabbed a thick branch fallen from a mountain hemlock and jerked from one side of the fight to the other, straining for an opportunity to hit Skinner without hurting Gooji. More yellow than gray brindled fur stood out for an instant. Jake attacked, striking at Skinner’s back with the heavy branch.
The werewolf yelped, releasing Gooji, but sprang at the makeshift weapon. He bit into the branch and held when Jake tried to shake him away. When he finally succeeded, he realized he had made a mistake. Abandoning the branch, Skinner bit deeply into the meat of Jake’s forearm. Jake screamed and tried to loosen the grip, but the fangs locked on, stapled into muscle.

Pick your copy of Luna's Children: Full Moon Mayhem here.