Aniko Carmean (Author of Stolen Climates)

Aniko Carmean is now friends with Joseph Pinto

Aniko Carmean rated a book 2 of 5 stars

Afterlife
by Douglas Clegg (Goodreads Author)

read in March, 2013

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AFTERLIFE, by Douglas Clegg, starts with a series of montage chapters , each just long enough to make you want to know what happens, but none of them obviously connected to the others. A boy is trapped in some sort of test lab, burning to death. A gi...more AFTERLIFE, by Douglas Clegg, starts with a series of montage chapters , each just long enough to make you want to know what happens, but none of them obviously connected to the others. A boy is trapped in some sort of test lab, burning to death. A girl is buried alive, suffocating to death. A man is stabbed to death by a killer able to vicariously feel the moment when life descends into death. At the close of the montage, Afterlife settles into telling the story of Julie Hutchinson, an ER nurse with two children who have psychic tendencies. Julie also has a husband - a deceased husband, who was murdered in what appeared to be a random act of violence. The initial chapters describing Julie's grief are pitch perfect, even if the content is less "horror" than it is "drama." Clegg understands the poignancy and revisionism of loss, and Julie drifts through the first half of the book, her mind flooded with beneficent memories of her husband, ignoring the coldness and distance that was the reality prior to his death. The only time Julie comes alive is during lurid dreams where a grotesque version of her late husband comes to her and asks if she "wants him inside of her." This is where the book started to lose my interest due to repetition interspersed with dribs and drabs of information about Julie's late husband's shadowy past, a past that is exposed far too late in the book to be truly examined. The final reveal, which brings together the montage chapters from the beginning of the book, also happens far too late in the plot. Without spoiling the details, Clegg's characters posit that people with psychic abilities are able to transcend death of the physical body, and thereby return immortal. This is morally, ethically, philosophically and scientifically fascinating. I am sorry that Clegg expended more plot time and character energy on ghost rape scenes instead of on the investigation of this premise. AFTERLIFE has an interesting start, a fascinating premise, and a failure to deliver on either.(less)

Aniko Carmean rated a book 1 of 5 stars

Asylum: The Complete Series
by Amy Cross (Goodreads Author)

read in March, 2013

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The ASYLUM series by Amy Cross reminds me of writing workshops.

This is not a good thing.

As a paying reader, and not a workshop compatriot, I do not expect to be bludgeoned by incorrect punctuation, missing words and repetitive scenes. I resisted my...more The ASYLUM series by Amy Cross reminds me of writing workshops.

This is not a good thing.

As a paying reader, and not a workshop compatriot, I do not expect to be bludgeoned by incorrect punctuation, missing words and repetitive scenes. I resisted my workshopping urges, though, until the last third of the book. Frustration sent me to start marking the text, not only because the mistakes were ruining what could have been an interesting story, but because I wanted to see if maybe I was inflating the number of mistakes that a casual read caught. I was not. At one anguished point, I noted, "Bad editing is killing this book!"

The worst thing about ASYLUM, though, is not the lack of editing. The worst thing is the wasted potential. Cross has fascinating and unique ideas, and created characters that had sparkling moments of pure interest. There are masterfully handled scenes, including one where a girl murders her seven year old brother, and another where a woman living in destitution is devoured from the inside out by insects. These glimpses of skill pulled me through the series, but ultimately, Cross loses her way with the thematic elements. There are starkly unexplained incidents, like a ghost who becomes a man who is then murdered for his brain, which is never used by the murderer. There are horrific slips of characterization, such as a man who lived off the land, following a tantalizing signal of broadcast brainwaves who, much later in the series, is duped into getting trapped in the asylum because he doesn't want to sleep one night outside in the rain. The point of view is shifted with such a lack of finesse, I was forced to backtrack in the text to figure out which character was narrating. All of those things are the mistakes of a new writer, and they aren't evil, but they do indicate a lack of impatience and a indelicate expectation of intelligent readers to endure writing that isn't ready for publication.

I wish I had gotten to read ASYLUM in a workshop. I would have loved to watch it evolve into the amazing thing it could be. Cross has the imagination and the raw material to write enthralling books, either of which is far more rare to come by than craft competency. A workshop could do wonders for her writing, and I hope Cross takes the time to invest in developing the fundamentals necessary to relay the richness of her stories. Maybe then, I will be able to recommend you read one of her books.(less)

Aniko Carmean rated a book 2 of 5 stars

The Third Floor
by C. Dennis Moore (Goodreads Author)

read in February, 2013

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I love horror stories set in small towns. I love haunted house stories. THE THIRD FLOOR by C. Dennis Moore combines both of those elements: a family moves to a small town, only to discover their new home is haunted.

I started reading with high hopes...more I love horror stories set in small towns. I love haunted house stories. THE THIRD FLOOR by C. Dennis Moore combines both of those elements: a family moves to a small town, only to discover their new home is haunted.

I started reading with high hopes of having found the perfect book for my predilections. The shining star of THE THIRD FLOOR is Joey, the little boy. His characterization and dialog were excellent. When anyone other than Joey was on the page, I was disconnected from the story, and was more of an observer than an enthralled slave to the book. Fifty pages in, and I almost gave up on THE THIRD FLOOR because there was more about it that taxed my patience than thrilled me. I continued out of cussed stubbornness. I'd spent some of my precious vacation time on THE THIRD FLOOR, and wanted the continuation of the story to make it worthwhile.

There are some memorably creepy scenes, especially one involving a hanged man and a woman's tense descent down a staircase. Despite that, there were too many things that were left partially realized. There were tantalizing hints about the strangeness of the town, but few of these hints were tied back to the house or the main story. Joey's dreams seem to be manifesting as hauntings, which was an interesting idea that was unfortunately neither explored nor explained. Similarly hinted at, but not followed up, was the possibility of the female protagonist, Liz, having been impregnated by a spirit. The most frustrating partial thread, perhaps, is that Liz yearns for Joey to call her "Mom." I anticipated an emotional scene where he finally calls out to her, a perfectly timed tearjerker - but it never happens. I'm also very annoyed with the ending, mostly because no one dies despite the circumstances, and everyone gets to live happily ever after, thanks to a clear case of insurance fraud. THE THIRD FLOOR suffers from having too many options, none of which come to fruition and none of which lead me to recommend you read this book.(less)

Aniko Carmean rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Survival (Species Imperative, #1)
by Julie E. Czerneda (Goodreads Author)

read in February, 2013

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The kitchen at my office has a paperback lending library. One lunch hour, I ran across SURVIVAL: Species Imperative #1 by Julie E. Czerneda. As a girl whose full maiden name included no less than three instances of the letter "z," I have a fondness f...more The kitchen at my office has a paperback lending library. One lunch hour, I ran across SURVIVAL: Species Imperative #1 by Julie E. Czerneda. As a girl whose full maiden name included no less than three instances of the letter "z," I have a fondness for any "z" names. I also have a fondness for science fiction, so I snagged SURVIVAL and brought it with me on vacation to Kaua'i.

Kaua'i is known as the "Garden Isle," and is bright with beauty and multiple ecosystems teeming with colorful varieties of life: plant, bird, fish - even the sand was variegated. SURVIVAL has a strong theme of ecological conservation which resonated with my experience of Kaua'i. The book opens with Mac petitioning the Wilderness Trust to continue her salmon research in zone designated for protection against human contamination of the environment. Mac is a character I instantly liked: an intelligent, stubborn, and focused woman who has to borrow the shoes she wears to her petition meeting. I settled comfortably into my beach-side lounger as Mac and her fellow-researcher and friend, Emily, started their data capture of the salmon run. Two of us were in for a surprise when an alien of the species Dhryn ruined the data capture by swimming upstream in direct violation of the no contamination protocols. Mac responded by throwing a rock at their visitor as he swam, then pushed his diplomatic escort into the water in irritation with the loss of data and the possibility their incursion would cause problems at her next Trust review. The rowdy campiness ends when Mac reads a missive from the Ministry of Extra-Sol Human Affairs. It details a Category Zeta threat - a world destroyer.

Sitting in an ecological paradise, the idea of a world-destroying threat really hit me hard. The potential fate of Earth in Czerneda's SURVIVAL is summed up by the refrain "then the mouths began to drink," and Czerneda effectively ratchets up the fear and tension in mini-chapters describing other planets that have already been destroyed. The horror is offset by humor, especially around the interactions of Mac and the Dhryn visitor, Bhrym. The culture of the Dhryn is fascinating. I love it that they use a pictographs outside of their dwellings to indicate anything from mood, to the acceptable topics to discuss at a dinner. I love their love of names, and was titillated by the mention of granthu, the ceremony in which a Dhryn acquires extra names. Czerneda shines in building culture, but she outdoes herself in coming up with the most unique and complex set of biological metamorphoses I've seen in any science fiction.

I read SURVIVAL on a beach, but it is by no means a "beach read." SURVIVAL is the first in a series, and closes with the decidedly un-beach-read question: What do you do when a species' natural evolution becomes a threat to other planets? Some, including someone close to Mac, answer with attempted genocide. Bhrym's answer is to give his own life. Mac, the tough and shoe-borrowing salmon-researcher, answers with her own understated transformation and growth.

SURVIVAL is science fiction driven by potent imagination, and infused with the sort of moral quandaries that make the genre what it is.(less)

Aniko Carmean rated a book 5 of 5 stars

The Keep
by Jennifer Egan (Goodreads Author)

read in February, 2013

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There are two things an author can do that almost guarantee I will not finish reading her book. The first is to break standard prose conventions, especially if the intent is to showcase how 'edgy' or 'experimental' the author is. The second is when a...more

Aniko Carmean wants to read

Ash-Eater's Fugue, Anno 2021 by Kim Koning

Ash-Eater's Fugue, Anno 2021 (The Firebird's Requiem, #1)
by Kim Koning (Goodreads Author)

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Aniko Carmean is now following Julie Czerneda's reviews

Aniko Carmean is now a fan of Goodreads Author Julie E. Czerneda

Aniko Carmean rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Listening Post
by L.K. Jay (Goodreads Author)

read in February, 2013

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THE LISTENING POST by L.K. Jay is, at its heart, a Victorian ghost story. This is despite the fact that it is set in two very different historical epochs, neither of which is the gaslight era. The outer story is set in modern England, and the protago...more

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Aniko Carmean is now friends with Joseph Pinto
May 20, 2013 10:24am · like
Aniko Carmean rated a book 2 of 5 stars Afterlife by Douglas Clegg (Goodreads Author) read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
AFTERLIFE, by Douglas Clegg, starts with a series of montage chapters , each just long enough to make you want to know what happens, but none of them obviously connected to the others. A boy is trapped in some sort of test lab, burning to death. A gi...more
Mar 23, 2013 08:11am · see review
Aniko Carmean rated a book 1 of 5 stars Asylum: The Complete Series by Amy Cross (Goodreads Author) read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The ASYLUM series by Amy Cross reminds me of writing workshops. This is not a good thing. As a paying reader, and not a workshop compatriot, I do not expect to be bludgeoned by incorrect punctuation, missing words and repetitive scenes. I resisted my...more
Mar 23, 2013 08:08am · see review
Aniko Carmean rated a book 2 of 5 stars The Third Floor by C. Dennis Moore (Goodreads Author) read in February, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I love horror stories set in small towns. I love haunted house stories. THE THIRD FLOOR by C. Dennis Moore combines both of those elements: a family moves to a small town, only to discover their new home is haunted. I started reading with high hopes...more
Mar 23, 2013 08:03am · see review
Aniko Carmean rated a book 5 of 5 stars Survival (Species Imperative, #1) by Julie E. Czerneda (Goodreads Author) read in February, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The kitchen at my office has a paperback lending library. One lunch hour, I ran across SURVIVAL: Species Imperative #1 by Julie E. Czerneda. As a girl whose full maiden name included no less than three instances of the letter "z," I have a fondness f...more
Mar 23, 2013 07:58am · see review
Aniko Carmean rated a book 5 of 5 stars The Keep by Jennifer Egan (Goodreads Author) read in February, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There are two things an author can do that almost guarantee I will not finish reading her book. The first is to break standard prose conventions, especially if the intent is to showcase how 'edgy' or 'experimental' the author is. The second is when a...more
Mar 23, 2013 07:55am · see review
Aniko Carmean wants to read Ash-Eater's Fugue, Anno 2021 (The Firebird's Requiem, #1) by Kim Koning (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 16, 2013 06:33am
Aniko Carmean is now following Julie Czerneda's reviews
Mar 10, 2013 02:03pm · like
Aniko Carmean is now a fan of Goodreads Author Julie E. Czerneda
Mar 10, 2013 02:03pm · like · see all of Aniko's favorite authors
Aniko Carmean rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Listening Post by L.K. Jay (Goodreads Author) read in February, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
THE LISTENING POST by L.K. Jay is, at its heart, a Victorian ghost story. This is despite the fact that it is set in two very different historical epochs, neither of which is the gaslight era. The outer story is set in modern England, and the protago...more
Feb 09, 2013 02:13pm · see review

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