Miami bookie Harry Arno has lived a relatively good life. As a mid level man in Jimmie Cap’s criminal operation he’s managed to skim a sizable bank account’s worth of excess off the top and is now planning to retire from the game with his lovely 25 years younger girlfriend, Joyce. Unfortunately, Harry put off his retirement a little too long and is now the unwitting pawn in an FBI sting targeting Jimmie Cap. The feds set up Harry for a bogus theft, and now […]
“I learned your books. Burned them into my mind. In case the firemen come to town.”
There are few things I enjoy more than a well crafted scary short story. As a kid cutting my teeth on Stephen King I loved his short story collections more than anything. Still do for that matter. My favorite collection of King’s is Skeleton Crew. Horror classics like “The Raft”, “The Jaunt”, and “Survivor Type” haunted me for years after reading them. Still do. In recent years Neil Gaiman’s short stories have filled the void King left for me. The first collection I read, Smoke […]
Gorgeous, Enthralling, Brilliant.
The Bees is an enthralling and gorgeously written tale in the tradition of Watership Down. The frightening realism coupled with the brilliant world-building makes for an experience that will haunt you long after the story is over. Flora 717 is born in to the lowly sanitation class of her hive but upon her emergence it is discovered she can make Flow, an essential food source for the babies. She is put to work in the nursery and rotates through several roles. Later an act of […]
Some books are a meal, The Bone Clocks is a banquet.
Even if you personally have a hand in a battle against good and evil that shook the very pillars of Heaven, when the smoke clears and the evil is vanquished eventually life will return to normal. While you were locked in your own high stakes fight billions of others walk through their day with their own joys and miseries, burdens and triumphs. While you may have won this particular battle ultimately you can’t save the world. The best you can do is save those you […]
Newest Pendergast thriller a small step up from recent outings
Even though it is better than recent offerings, Blue Labyrinth ultimately fails to break free from the established Preston & Child formula. It starts with a slow build up, the plot takes several shocking twists and turns, and then the last ¼ of the book is a race against time as the previously hidden adversaries reveal their identities and our various heroes fight tooth and nail to overcome and survive. It’s exciting and quite fun but ends up as not much more than a beach […]
The Man behind the Discworld
I just learned Terry Pratchett died today. I’m trying to process that grief and it feels like I’ve lost an old friend. The world is a worse place without him there is no doubt. I wrote this review a couple of weeks ago but hadn’t posted it yet. Now is as good as time as any. Thank you, sir. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Not an autobiography, but still pretty close to it, A Slip of the Keyboard is a collection […]