Review: The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure

The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure by Jack Handey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Your enjoyment of this is dependent on how funny you used to find Mr. Handey's "Deep Thoughts" bits from SNL back in the day. This is probably the most joke-dense, but plot-thin books I've ever read.

Then again, I think that is supposed to be the point.

My advice would be to sample a few chapters on your ebook retailer of choice, and if you're not feeling it, don't waste any more of your time. If you're loving it, the rest of the book essentially follows the same pattern.

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Review: Jade Sky

Jade Sky by Patrick Freivald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the ideas Freivald was playing with here. Dealing with super-science and its origins in this world can be tricky, but Freivald pulls off a nice balance between exploring the plot and the human elements.

For the most part, the action was solid and well-executed, although when things got more "weird" (I'm leaving it as such so as to not reveal the main twist), some of the bits were a bit hard to follow.

Overall, it's a fun read and recommended for fans of sci-fi action movies and/or anime.


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Review: Island of the Super People

Island of the Super People by Kevin Shamel
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I've come to the conclusion that I only like the bizarro genre in theory. Generally speaking, the author has a neat "what if" idea that s/he wants to explore and attempts to have fun in that world.

In practice, however, the genre seems to have a template/formula that just doesn't work for me. The first third to half of the book involves a lot of description and exposition as it sets up the world. Once the plot is established, it runs in a relatively straightforward direction and ends either predictably or abruptly. I'm usually left shrugging and saying, "Well, that happened."

Island of the Super People is no exception, opting for the more predictable route. At the book's halfway point, I thought I knew exactly how the plot was going to unravel, and I was right.

Despite the negative points so far, I do have to give author Kevin Shamel credit on some well-written fight scenes. The action was clear and well-directed, with a good sense of timing and spatial awareness.

In summary, if you're expecting a deconstruction of the super-hero genre, such as the vastly superior Watchmen or Brat Pack, you're going to be disappointed. If you're familiar with and typically enjoy the bizarro genre and its tropes, then you might like this.

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Review: Hot in December

Hot in December by Joe R. Lansdale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A fun (albeit light) tale about a man who witnesses a crime that puts him at odds with a local crime boss. While the story plays out mostly like you'd expect (You have seen at least one '80s action movie, right?), Lansdale has a breezy writing style, and it's an overall enjoyable affair. Just don't go into this expecting anything ground-breaking or mind-blowing.

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Review: The Blood Axe: Story of Viking Kings Knut & Olav

The Blood Axe: Story of Viking Kings Knut & Olav by Eileene Harrison Beer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is essentially "embellished history" with the author adding imagined dialog, etc. to actual historical events. It's a light, breezy read. Although I don't know why it's called "The Blood Axe" when the titular item has little to no bearing on the actual story.

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Review: Iron Dawn

Iron Dawn by Matthew Woodring Stover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book started out somewhat slow, but it had some good action scenes and character moments.

I also liked how it was set in an altered history, referencing various battles and such from pre-A.D. times and just adding magic or subtle changes to suit the story.

Overall, I recommend this to fantasy fans who want something more down-to-earth than your typical dungeon raids and dragon-slaying.

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Review: Tales from Beyond

Tales from Beyond by Russell James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Decent little anthology that should appeal to fans of "The Twilight Zone" and its ilk.

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Review: Badass: The Birth of a Legend: Spine-Crushing Tales of the Most Merciless Gods, Monsters, Heroes, Villains, and Mythical Creatures Ever Envisioned

Badass: The Birth of a Legend: Spine-Crushing Tales of the Most Merciless Gods, Monsters, Heroes, Villains, and Mythical Creatures Ever Envisioned by Ben Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think I preferred the first book in the series (based on real-world people) more than this one, but Thompson's style is still an entertaining read.

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Review: The Bojeffries Saga

The Bojeffries Saga by Alan Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Imagine if a downplayed Addams Family/Munsters did a scathing societal satire of modern English (and to a lesser extent, most Western nations) society. In a rare instance of Alan Moore writing humor, "The Bojeffries Saga" is quite funny, even though I'm sure I missed a few England-centric references.



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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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Review: 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 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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Review: Hard Time: 50 to Life

Hard Time: 50 to Life by Steve Gerber

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I'm usually a big fan of Mr. Gerber's, but this one, while not bad, wasn't one of his better tales. I haven't gotten around to reading the rest of the series yet, so I'm hoping the story gels more in future TPBs of the series.



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Review: Vampires Don't Sparkle!

Vampires Don't Sparkle! by Michael West

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



As with all anthologies, there are going to be stories you enjoy more than others, but the majority of the stories in this book were enjoyable and a refreshing return to actual horror stories involving vampires.

Because some of the proceeds of the book's sales go towards cancer charities, this is definitely a worthy book to add to your collection.

On second thought... maybe not if your name is Bella.




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Review: The Pumpkin Child

The Pumpkin Child by Nancy A. Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Hollis Railsback can't catch a break to save his life. At his most desperate, he visits the local witch to change his luck. The spell works, and Hollis is living the good life. However, when he discovers one area of misfortune in his life ten years later, he compels the witch to perform another spell for him, despite her warnings to the contrary.

Nancy Collins is known for her visceral, gritty writing style, and this story is no exception. She has an excellent grasp of small-town Southerner speech patterns, and the motivations for each character are clearly defined.

If you're a fan of Tales From The Crypt-esque stories, you should certainly like this tale.




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Review: Darkness Weaves

Darkness Weaves by Karl Edward Wagner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Fans of Conan need to check this book out, as Wagner writes some brutal fight sequences and has a good imagination for multiple-person battle scenarios. There are also several decent subplots working in this book at all, which is surprising given its short length.

All in all, this is a tightly-written book that I really enjoyed.




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