February 19th, 2011
“UR” by Stephen King is a novella that was written exclusively for the Kindle. Wesley Smith is an English professor that, though he isn’t completely opposed to technology, adheres to the idea that there is nothing quite like a good book — the look, the weight in the hand, the smell of the paper. His girlfriend doesn’t understand his narrow-mindedness when it comes to his resistance to embrace e-book readers. After an explosive fight where she hurls his copy of Deliverance across the room, she walks out on him. When he catches a student in one of his classes reading the assignment on a Kindle, he decides out of spite to purchase a Kindle if for nothing else to make her mad. When his Kindles surprisingly arrives the next day and Wesley opens the box, he begins to realize that the Kindle he received is a special Kindle. The first thing he notices is that his Kindle is pink while (at the time the story was written) the only available color for the Kindle was white. The color was only the tip of the iceberg, though. When he finally explores the Kindle, he discovers a special UR menu that contains glimpses into books written in alternate universes. Upon further investigation, he discovers that he can also access copies of the New York Times from the various dimensions, each slightly different. When he investigates the UR Local menu (under construction) menu that accesses his local newspaper, he is notified that he can only enter future dates. What follows is a desperate flight to save the woman that he still loves from certain doom.
“UR” was riveting, fascinating, and fun all in one. Reading it on a Kindle added to the uniqueness of the novella — it was fun as King talked about the various features and menus of the Kindle to be able to see what he was talking about while reading. I read the story completely in one sitting because I simply couldn’t put it down. Although the story seemed reminiscent of other King works and other stories in the genre, it was different enough to stand on its own. It was also a little predictable in parts, but that also did not detract from the story. The only other negative was it felt a little anti-climatic in the end and open to interpretation, but that isn’t always a bad thing. I found “UR” to be enjoyable and entertaining and would highly recommend it to anyone with a Kindle that is looking for a quick read.
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: alternate dimensions, alternate universes, future, kindle, novella, parallel universes, stephen king, suspense, UR, wesley smith
Posted in Books |
February 18th, 2011
“Torment” by Jeremy Bishop is a post-apocalyptic thriller set after a nuclear holocaust. A few survivors, including the President of the United States, members of the Secret Service, and visitors to the White House escape the devastation in specially designed capsules that are thrust into space just as the warheads begin their descent. Miraculously, after a few days the fallout clears and the group is able to return to Earth. When they arrive, they find a very different world full of peril, danger, and relentless pursuit by the new frightening denizens of the planet.
Overall, I thought the book was a decent read. It certainly provided virtually non-stop action and the character development was very well done. The plot was often at best veiled, at worst lacking or nonexistent. I think it takes a deeper understanding of the author’s exploratory purpose of the work to get that really the whole story in its entirety was in and of itself the plot. For me personally, it helped a great deal to read the author’s afterthoughts. I have seen that a lot of reviewers have slammed the book for being overly religious. I did not find it so and I didn’t think that it was slanted in just one direction.
Although I don’t mind profanity in literature where it seems appropriate (for instance, during an emotionally charged moment), it really bothers me when there is excessive profanity that seems to be used just for the sake of using it. I am all for realism and I realize that some characters will curse more than others, but I felt on several occasions in this book that the profanity was unnecessary and in one particular instance, I found it very inappropriate. I do read Stephen King, however, and Mr. Bishop is squeaky clean compared to some of King’s books. One other thing, which is really the opposite of profanity, that at times drove me a little crazy was the constant apologizing for their actions made by a certain group of people. Maddening, but that likely just added to the effect.
“Torment” comes off initially as an easy, breezy read that doesn’t require much thought (like many zombie novels). Eventually, though, it becomes evident that “Torment” is indeed a novel that requires a great deal of thought and reflection in order to understand just what the author was trying to say with the work. Though not everything in the book gets a crystal clear explanation as to why things occurred the way that they did, sometimes the lack of an explanation serves well to allow the reader to come up with their own ideas.
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: apocalypse, apocalyptic fiction, fallout, horror, jeremy bishop, nuclear holocaust, plot, profanity, religion, stephen king, suspense, thriller, torment, zombies
Posted in Books, Reviews |
October 31st, 2010
As an early reviewer for “What the Night Knows”, I was eagerly anticipating the novella “Darkness Under the Sun”. It serves as both a prequel and sequel to “What the Night Knows” and delves deeper into the mind and persona of serial killer Alton Turner Blackwood. The childhood and making of the monster that would become a serial killer is chronicled through Blackwood’s journal in “What the Night Knows”. The setting for the novella is before the murderer begins the killing spree that gains him notoriety as the sick, twisted killer that he will come to be known as.
Though “Darkness Under the Sun” can stand on its own as a novella, I found that I had much more insight into the novella having read “What the Night Knows” first. The character of John Calvino, who is introduced toward the end of the novella, is in fact the main character in “What the Night Knows” and the conversations that take place in the novella between its main character and Calvino have much more depth if you understand more about Calvino’s character and what he witnessed and endured at the hands of Blackwood.
Personally, I truly enjoyed “Darkness Under the Sun” and thought that it was eerily spooky, but I wonder if it would have had the same impact if I hadn’t had the insight into Blackwood and Calvino that I did by reading “What the Night Knows” first. It is short — I read it in just over an hour — but it is definitely worth $1.59 and you also get a preview of “What the Night Knows” after the novella.
My advice? Purchase the e-book, go ahead and read it and enjoy it. Then buy “What the Night Knows” when it is released in December and read the novella again once you have had the pleasure of reading it and see how much more you can relate to the characters then.
And for those that are wondering, yes there is a dog in the novella, though it plays a very minor part toward the end of the work almost as an afterthought.
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: alton turner blackwood, cheers, darkness under the sun, Dean Koontz, dog, e-book, endured, john calvino, journal, killer, monster, murderer, novella, peter west, prequel, sequel, serial killer, sick, twisted, What the Night Knows, witnessed
Posted in Authors, Books, Reviews |
October 22nd, 2010
Autumn is one of my favorite times of year. The vibrant colors of the changing leaves on the trees, the slightly cooler temperatures. Call me crazy, but I like a little chill in the air in the morning especially after one of the hottest summers that I can remember in my lifetime. Mind you, I don’t care much for snow, ice, and cold. Below 50 is colder than I like, but mid-50′s to mid-60′s is just right in the morning — just so long as I don’t have to scrape frost off the car windows or not feel my nose or ears from the cold wind. I also don’t mind it when it’s dark in the morning when I go to work. It seems more peaceful and serene. If I had to rank my favorite seasons, Spring and Fall would be tied for first, followed by summer then winter. I try to appreciate all the seasons of the year — some are just harder to love than others.
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: air, autumn, car, cheers, chill, cold, colors, cooler, dark, fall, frost, hottest, ice, leaves, morning, peaceful, peter west, scrape, seasons, serene, snow, spring, summer, temperatures, trees, wind, windows, winter, work
Posted in Miscellaneous, Weather |
October 21st, 2010
Dean Koontz has been my favorite author since I first picked up a copy of “The Bad Place” back in 1990. I liked it so well that I subsequently purchased nearly every book he has ever published. When I was selected to be an early reviewer for “What the Night Knows”, I was beside myself with joy and anticipation. Let me just say, the book did NOT disappoint.
Two decades ago as a young boy, John Calvino snuck back into his house only to discover his parents had been brutally murdered. When he hears the strange sound of bells ringing in his sisters’ room, he locates a gun and investigates to find the sinister, hulking, misshapen form of Alton Turner Blackwood standing over his dead sister, his other sister already viciously and violently killed as well. After taunting John and issuing a promise to revisit the atrocities on his future family, Blackwood turns and John shoots him and empties the ammunition into the killer’s face.
Later, John learns that his family was the last of four families that Blackwood intended to kill, 33 days apart. Now a homicide detective, John Calvino learns that impossibly, the murders are somehow happening all over again. With his own family to protect, John has to figure out a way to stop the cycle from repeating and deal with Alton Turner Blackwood once and for all.
“What the Night Knows” is a suspenseful, riveting, pulse-pounding, spine-tingling, creepy, supernatural thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat and checking your closets, mirrors and crawlspaces for things that literally go bump in the night. Never before has Koontz dealt so well with the topic of ghosts, malevolent spirits and demons. This is definitely one of his best works to date and is a must-read, especially if you are looking for a gripping page-turner!
Cheers!
~ Peter West
Tags: alton turner blackwood, atrocities, bells, bump in the night, cheers, crawlspaces, creepy, cycle, Dean Koontz, demons, detective, edge, ghosts, gun, hulking, john calvino, malevolent spirits, mirrors, misshapen, murder, page-turner, peter west, pulse-pounding, ringing, riveting, seat, sinister, spine-tingling, supernatural, suspenseful, taunting, The Bad Place, thriller, vicious, violent, What the Night Knows
Posted in Authors, Books, Reviews |
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