Review: L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories

L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories by Megan Abbott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Some top-quality authors contributing to this anthology. Worth grabbing if you're a fan of crime/noir fiction.



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Review: Axe Cop: Volume One

Axe Cop: Volume One by Malachai Nicolle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Hilariously random and bizarre. I vaguely remember the days when I had a similar imagination. Who says everything gets better with age?



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Review: 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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Review: 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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Review: 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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