18 December 2013

Review: Hell Manor


Hell Manor
Hell Manor by Lisa Morton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Although there were a few minor plot holes and some overly-omniscient narrator syndrome, the action flows pretty well, and the story itself is pretty engaging. Definitely worth the read.



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17 October 2013

Review: The Wolf's Hour


The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour by Robert R. McCammon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is an all-around, well-written tale. Even if it didn't have the werewolf bits, it would make for a good, WWII-era action/intrigue book. I did like McCammon's take on the supernatural bits, though, so this just made for a fun read.



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03 August 2013

Review: Ninja Versus Pirate Featuring Zombies


Ninja Versus Pirate Featuring Zombies
Ninja Versus Pirate Featuring Zombies by James Marshall

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This book is more or less an adolescent fantasy mixed with some social commentary. Our hero and titular pirate, Guy Boy Man, is trying to end human suffering with his seemingly limitless financial resources. However, things get a bit complicated when he meets BabyDoll15, who despite his legions of "hot female followers" gets under his skin in an unexpected way... and then the African-American ninja Sweetie Honey shows up. Whose side is he on, and will he kill Guy Boy Man? Read the book to find out...

While I enjoyed it for the most part, I started getting flashbacks of John Dies at the End at various points, and I'm one of those people who don't consider that a positive. Another annoying thing is the ending, or rather, the lack thereof. Apparently, this is part of a larger set of books, so the ending, while not a cliffhanger, still has some unresolved issues and that "To Be Continued..." feel.

However, the humor and satire do make up for these few negative points. So it ends up being a fun, light read with some social commentary thrown in for good measure. If that's what you're looking for, NVPFZ should hit the spot.

If you want something deeper, well, why would you be looking at a book with this title anyway?



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24 June 2013

Review: The Mike Hammer Collection: Volume I


The Mike Hammer Collection: Volume I
The Mike Hammer Collection: Volume I by Mickey Spillane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Final novel in the collection is "Vengeance Is Mine!" Spillane's voice is really developed in this one, although I wasn't as enamored with the plot, which seemed unnecessarily complicated. 4/5

Overall, I really enjoyed this collection and am looking forward to getting into the subsequent collections as well.




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Review: The Death of Bunny Munro: A Novel


The Death of Bunny Munro: A Novel
The Death of Bunny Munro: A Novel by Nick Cave

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



If I could, I probably would bump this up to 3.5/5 stars. After traveling cosmetics salesman Bunny's wife commits suicide, he takes his son on the road with him, but has a difficult time keeping things together.

This was an audio book both written and narrated by Nick Cave. It gets a little weird and metaphysical in places, but overall was an enjoyable listen if you don't have a problem with a lecherous drunkard trying to deal with raising a son and the battle against his own pride. The ending was very touching, though.




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