Book Review: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas is a book that poses as something more then it is. I was expecting a deep, meaningful mindbender. Instead I ended up disappointed by a collection of narrative exercises that falls flat on its promise to to different.

Book Review: Nighteyes by Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Garfield Reeves-Stevens is a writer that not enough people know of. He and his wife Judith have teamed up in the past many times on novels and TV shows like Star Trek Enterprise and the SyFy original movie Fire Serpent. Alone, Garfield has also written many novels, including plenty set in the Star Trek Expended Universe. Many of his works are genre-benders with a sci-fi touch.

Book Review: Alien Hunter by Whitley Strieber

Whitley Strieber doesn't get the credit he deserves. His book Communion from the late 80s was a huge bestseller. It was published as non-fiction because Mr. Strieber claims the events depicted in the novel are based on his real experiences with extra-terrestrials. Whether or not you believe he's tell the truth, one thing that is clear to me is how well-written it is. And this goes for all his books, fiction and non-fiction alike. 

Book Review: Babel-17 by Samuel Delaney

Sometime after reading Embassytown by China Mieville, I started to look into Mieville and what he's all about. I quickly learned that the Golden Age SF writer Samuel Delany has been a huge influence on his writing. And he's not the only one; I constantly hear Delany associated with some of the best SF written to date. That's what led me to him, and of course I went for his most popular novel, Babel-17.

Book Review: Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

Book Review:

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

In the aftermath of Chuck Palahniuk's Haunted, with the first few books that followed it, I thought I was the only one aware of the downfall of this once very clever author. During the time between Haunted and Pygmy I was confused by Palahniuk's rise to becoming a big name author happening in parallel with the diminishing quality of his writing with each subsequent release. Haunted I thought was a fluke; it did has some potential with the main story, and a few of the shorts were impressive. But with Rant, then Snuff, then Pygmy, I noticed a lack of effort and unique cleverness that made his earlier works so impressivc. His experimentation with prose has always felt to me like an author too afraid to deviate away from trademark style, which for Chuck is his clever and witty first-person narrators, while still trying to make an effort to be cutting edge.

What Happened To Chuck Palahniuk?

What Happened To Chuck Palahniuk?


Chuck Palahniuk was once the king of Dark Satire. Some may still see him this way, but I'm sure they are a significantly less amount of people then they once were. Survivor was masterful; the first novel of his I read, it was eye opening for me. It made me realize just how fun reading could really be. Survivor was clever in a way that I had never previously experienced. I was hooked. Invisible Monster, Choke, Fight Club, Diary, and Lullaby! Absolutely page-turners.

Book Review: Redshirts by John Scalzi

I loved 'Redshirts' by John Scalzi.

Previously, I had never read anything by Scalzi. I'v had a used copy of 'Old Mans War' sitting around, but it never interested me much. Military novels don't typically excite me. But I came across 'Redshirts' at a discount price so I decided to by it. Then I decided to read it because of the hype surrounding it.