Backup

Now for a change of pace - a short novelette from my favorite publisher, Subterranean Press. But strangely enough, this is not one I purchased. (And it is sold out as well - so look for it on the secondary market.) As usual, and like three out of the last four books I've read, it came from my local library.

BACKUP is a mere 72 pages long and thus took me only the metro ride in and lunch time to read. It also marks my third foray into the Dresden universe. First was the TV show on SciFi. I rather enjoyed the program and mourned slightly when it was canceled. It had potential. Second (if you don't count the fact that I bought STORM FRONT, the first novel, but gave it to a friend's daughter before I could read it) was the graphic novel WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE I checked out with this book.

And now BACKUP. The novelette isn't a Dresden story per se, but instead focuses on his half-brother and vampire, Thomas Raith. I take it that Thomas is a recurring character in the main books, but here he is the hero. It's nice to see a creator give a supporting player the lead. These stories allow the fleshing out of the universe and a nice departure from the usual. Butcher's style is conventional and readable. I'm tempted to try more Dresden, but as I always complain there are too many books on my plate right now.

Let me add a quick note about Subterranean - they are a wonderful small press who put out a lot of great books from great authors and they provide great customer service as well. Looking at my bookshelves the other day, I saw a lot of their books and wished I had time to read them all. If you enjoy horror, science fiction or fantasy, give Subterranean a try, you'll probably find something you like.

Beware

Richard Laymon is always good for a quick read. His books tend to be heavy on the action and light on the exposition, which is sometimes needed for reading pleasure. (Not that I've been reading excruciatingly heavy books lately) I literally read this over the course of a day - starting on the metro ride to work and finishing at lunch the next day.

BEWARE follows most of Laymon's tropes - mad killer, gory violence, rape, isolation, occult practices, and sex. What Laymon does is make it fresh and give it some twists. I was expecting a ghost story and it wasn't. Nor was it a run of the mill serial killer or supernatural beast story. It was all of these and more. Laymon's imagination just runs wild.

If you enjoy Laymon, it is a fun and fast read. But the book does depict brutal rapes and killings, so it is not for everyone. Even I can only read Laymon once in a while because he is so over the top.

Also for a dead man (He died in 2001), he has had more novels come out posthumously than Tupac has had albums. I know most of these are rereleases of earlier books that were not published in the U.S. or went out of print quickly, but they keep coming out. Not that I am complaining. His is a voice that is almost unmatched in the horror genre.

Without Warning

I think I like the Australian cover above more than the below American version. But, I think the latter will bring more readers. It has a certain Tom Clancy-Dale Brown-Stephen Coonts feel that will hook the techno-thriller junkies. And not to slight Mr. Birmingham, this is a techno-thriller with a major hanging curve ball.

Most of the North America population is killed by an unspeakable disaster. (I almost said decimated until I remembered the meaning of that word and more than ten percent of the population died) Also this area is rendered uninhabitable by the same event. That said, some pockets of America live on and the bulk of its military power is outside of the country waiting to make war on Iraq. Needless to say this is where our history diverges. We lived through five more years of the Bush administration and it is gone in this book. Looking at several characters over the course of a day, a week and a month following the event, the reader is treated to how the world could change without an American presence. Mr. Birmingham does a commendable job in laying out his world and thinking of some problems never addressed in similar books. The twists and turns were fun and this book read quickly and well. In some ways, I'd say the writing was superior to the World War 2.0 books. But he follows the same premise of shaking up not just a civilization, but the world with the changes he envisions.

This book could be read as a stand-alone, but a sequel is promised. Hopefully it won't take too long and will be as fun as this was.

Blue Heaven

I went on a short business trip lately and the clerk at the airport Border's was so enthusiastic I just had to buy a book for the trip - even though I had one packed and ready. I skipped his recommendations (not my style of book) and looked around. I came up with BLUE HEAVEN. I had read good things about this book and the premise sounded interesting enough to give it a try. And as it turns out it was a great airport book - a paperback you buy at the airport (duh) specifically for the purpose of entertainment and pleasure while traveling.

Two children witnessed a murder and are now on the run. The murder was conducted by some retired police officers now living in Northern Idaho and they have convinced the local sheriff to let them assist with the hunt for the kids. The story mostly moves as you would expect but that is not to say that it isn't entertaining. I liked the ending, the writing did not feel forced and the story flowed quickly. I can think of only one other book I've read as quickly lately but didn't enjoy nearly as much.

I think this book makes for a good introduction to Box because it is not part of his Joe Pickett series. I like the concept of stand-alones because a reader can absorb the book without needing backstory or walking into the middle of a longer story. Harlan Coben's best books are those he wrote after his brilliant Myron Bolitar series. It looks to me like Box is working in a similar mode. If I can I squeeze one in, I may try a Pickett book, but there are so many books stacked up by my bedside, I don't know when I'll get to it. Who knows, maybe it'll be another airport novel.

Bone Crossed

I've decided that I will use the much cooler Australian cover for BONE CROSSED rather than the extremely sexist and misleading American versions. I will admit that the covers caught my eye, but they do not do justice to the content. And the overseas versions have a better look and feel to my eye. These look more like an urban fantasy novel than an enticement for hard-up men to ogle.

That said, I enjoyed BONE CROSSED. Perhaps not as much as the first two, but the series is still well written and entertaining. Mercy is continually evolving as a character and the reader learns more about the world with every book. The one thing I would warn against is mission creep. What I mean by this is that Mercy was introduced as a were-coyote, then she can see and speak to ghosts, then she is immune to magic and now she can command the dead. Her powers seem to grow with each book and while they add new focus to the story, they can get messy or out of hand. If this keeps up, she will soon have super-ventriloquism and the ability to call forth a cup of tea. One critic said magic needs rules. Sure Mercedes is learning the rules, but if she doesn't get limits soon, she will become the most powerful person in Washington State.

Still, the storytelling and sharp characters will keep me coming back for more.