Walter Greatshell's Blog
August 7, 2017
TWO NEW BOOKS!
Yup, after several years of scribbling in my cave, I have two books out at once--just because why the heck not?
The first is a collection of brief articles I've written over the past decade or so, which I have titled SPECIAL FEATURES: SHORT TAKES ON POP CULTURE FROM ANDROIDS TO ZOMBIES. I think the essays are fun and informative, and of ideal length for bathroom reading.
The second book is slightly more epic, being the saga of a young German woman who travels to Colonial Africa during the lead-up to WWII, a subject I learned much about from my late mother. Its title is SAFARI MINE: AN AFRICAN ODYSSEY 1928-1937. I am at work now on the sequel, which will cover the years 1938-1947. It's a chapter of history few know of...except those who lived it.
The first is a collection of brief articles I've written over the past decade or so, which I have titled SPECIAL FEATURES: SHORT TAKES ON POP CULTURE FROM ANDROIDS TO ZOMBIES. I think the essays are fun and informative, and of ideal length for bathroom reading.
The second book is slightly more epic, being the saga of a young German woman who travels to Colonial Africa during the lead-up to WWII, a subject I learned much about from my late mother. Its title is SAFARI MINE: AN AFRICAN ODYSSEY 1928-1937. I am at work now on the sequel, which will cover the years 1938-1947. It's a chapter of history few know of...except those who lived it.
January 4, 2013
TERMINAL ISLAND book trailer: 'Welcome to Shady Isle!"
Greetings, all--check out the new book trailer for my novel TERMINAL ISLAND. Ooooo--spooky!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-TCwt...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-TCwt...
December 16, 2012
TERMINAL ISLAND Giveaway complete!
Thanks to all those who participated in the giveaway for my book TERMINAL ISLAND, and congratulations to the winners! You will receive your books shortly; I'm putting them in the mail today. To everyone else: you may not have won a free book, but at least you don't have to give books away, right? Books you've poured your heart into, sacrificed years of your life to create, in the hope that somebody might actually buy them. Oh no, instead you're just handing them out for free. Think about how that must feel.
Happy holidays!
Happy holidays!
December 5, 2012
TERMINAL ISLAND audiobook now available!
Hear a sample of my book TERMINAL ISLAND on Audible.com! This is my first audiobook, and I have to say it is the coolest thing to hear a great voice actor reading my words. Check it out:
http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=mp_ja_3...
http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=mp_ja_3...
November 30, 2012
Library Journal reviews my book TERMINAL ISLAND
Wow, this is the first of my books to be reviewed by Library Journal--check it out:
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/201...
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/201...
November 16, 2012
TERMINAL ISLAND GIVEAWAY
My latest book, the suspense thriller TERMINAL ISLAND, comes out next month, but I thought I'd get a jump on that by offering two advance copies as Goodreads giveaways--just sign up and you could have a signed copy in time for Christmas (unless the mail gets there too slow, then it's out of my hands). Good luck!
November 26, 2011
Bitten By Books reviews MAD SKILLS!
"A warm summer’s night, an outdoor concert and a scary carnival ride in the Fun House seemed just about the perfect night to Maddy Grant and her step-brother, Ben. The perfect night turned into tragedy when an accident happens inside the Fun House, killing Ben and leaving Maddy with severe brain damage. She wakes up in a special facility called BrainTree where she has undergone cutting-edge brain surgery that includes insertion of wires and a box in her brain. But Maddy isn’t exactly Maddy anymore. Instead of being an indifferent student, she begins to read books on calculus and philosophy to alleviate her boredom, and it feels perfectly normal to her—but nothing else feels quite “normal”, including her parents, home and friends. She begins to question the accident, the surgery and what has been implanted in her head, and those questions lead to horrific answers. Who or what is Maddy?
This is an extraordinarily clever book, well-written and full of suspense, twists and surprises. The author is well versed in the technological aspects, which is its most frightening component. The reader walks away wondering if the future is really “now” and where will the latest advances really lead us?
The author grabs you by the throat from the opening sentence and never lets go. “As Maddy Grant plummeted from the forty-second floor to certain death amid the blaring traffic of Ninth Avenue, all she could think was, ‘Stupid.’” Maddy is just about the perfect heroine: superior intellect, nefarious skills and the temperament and outlook of a teen-ager. She wrestles with the turmoil of puberty while trying to save her life, identity and soul. There is action, adventure, tragedy and sweet romance, all wrapped up in sheer suspense."
--Storm
http://www.bittenbybooks.com/39243/ma...
This is an extraordinarily clever book, well-written and full of suspense, twists and surprises. The author is well versed in the technological aspects, which is its most frightening component. The reader walks away wondering if the future is really “now” and where will the latest advances really lead us?
The author grabs you by the throat from the opening sentence and never lets go. “As Maddy Grant plummeted from the forty-second floor to certain death amid the blaring traffic of Ninth Avenue, all she could think was, ‘Stupid.’” Maddy is just about the perfect heroine: superior intellect, nefarious skills and the temperament and outlook of a teen-ager. She wrestles with the turmoil of puberty while trying to save her life, identity and soul. There is action, adventure, tragedy and sweet romance, all wrapped up in sheer suspense."
--Storm
http://www.bittenbybooks.com/39243/ma...
Fresh Fiction review of XOMBIES: APOCALYPSO!
"For those who have read the first two books in Walter Greatshell's Xombies trilogy, APOCALYPSO will be a fun and gore-filled finale. While this novel can stand on its own, I still think trilogies are best read in order, and this one is no exception. Greatshell does a nice job of weaving in back-story to fill in details, but it might be a bit confusing to those starting with this novel.
The first section of the book features Lulu Pangloss, the teenager who starred in the fist book in the trilogy. She and her fellow xombies are still in the submarine in which their adventure began, but her doctor friend Alice Langhorn thinks a dose of "reality" might help. So, the group inhabits an empty town and recreates life from the guidelines of Archie comics. The results are disastrous but amusing if not pitiful. The xombies then set out to save any remaining humans they can find from an impending danger; the whole reason scientist Uri Miska developed Agent X in the first place.
The second section features Todd and Ray, two human boys who escaped the xombies. They hook up with a group of religious humans who believe Agent X is a result of God's wrath. While there is tension between two factions of humans—the Apostle and the Prophet have different ideas— they all want to reach Xanadu, an allegedly safe place in Washington, D.C.
In the third section, the two groups collide, causing mayhem. Xombies want to save humans, and humans want to save xombies. It's funny but horrific and deftly done in all of its scary comicness.
In the hands of a lesser writer, it would be satire with no meaning, but with Greatshell at the helm, it works on all levels. Strong character development, the right tone and adventure that keep the pages turning make this an adventure not to forget.
Zombie or xombie novels have been appearing in greater quantities of late, and while I haven't read all of them, these authors have large shoes to fill or follow with Greatshell's trilogy such a strong contender. Some books depend too much on comic relief and some try to be too serious, and Greatshell strikes the right balance. I look forward to reading more of his work, including his stand- alone novel, Mad Skills."
--Katherine Petersen
http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id...
The first section of the book features Lulu Pangloss, the teenager who starred in the fist book in the trilogy. She and her fellow xombies are still in the submarine in which their adventure began, but her doctor friend Alice Langhorn thinks a dose of "reality" might help. So, the group inhabits an empty town and recreates life from the guidelines of Archie comics. The results are disastrous but amusing if not pitiful. The xombies then set out to save any remaining humans they can find from an impending danger; the whole reason scientist Uri Miska developed Agent X in the first place.
The second section features Todd and Ray, two human boys who escaped the xombies. They hook up with a group of religious humans who believe Agent X is a result of God's wrath. While there is tension between two factions of humans—the Apostle and the Prophet have different ideas— they all want to reach Xanadu, an allegedly safe place in Washington, D.C.
In the third section, the two groups collide, causing mayhem. Xombies want to save humans, and humans want to save xombies. It's funny but horrific and deftly done in all of its scary comicness.
In the hands of a lesser writer, it would be satire with no meaning, but with Greatshell at the helm, it works on all levels. Strong character development, the right tone and adventure that keep the pages turning make this an adventure not to forget.
Zombie or xombie novels have been appearing in greater quantities of late, and while I haven't read all of them, these authors have large shoes to fill or follow with Greatshell's trilogy such a strong contender. Some books depend too much on comic relief and some try to be too serious, and Greatshell strikes the right balance. I look forward to reading more of his work, including his stand- alone novel, Mad Skills."
--Katherine Petersen
http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id...
April 15, 2011
April 8, 2011
New review of XOMBIES: APOCALYPSO!
"Xombies: Apocalypso by Walter Greatshell begins after the world has already been infected by Agent X – killing and resurrecting almost the entire human race. The scientist Uri Miska created the formula in a desperate effort to save mankind from an impending world-wide disaster. Former humans, resurrected as xombies, can survive virtually anything. Death holds no terror for the undead.
The story begins with the most apt quote imaginable – “Comedy is not pretty.” This observation is confirmed repeatedly throughout the novel – a story where the undead pine for their lost humanity, a blue Elvis performs onstage, and the salvation of the world just might depend on a Beatles cover band.
As the third novel in the Xombies trilogy, Apocalypso follows the exploits of the Xombies and humans alike. Lulu Pangloss guides her fellow xombies in their neverending quest to “save” the living. Meanwhile, surviving humans fight a holy war against each other. The ultimate goal of both sides is to reach Xanadu – a haven of survivors which claims to have formed a society where humans and xombies can live side by side.
The superhuman strength, invulnerability, and fearlessness of Lulu and her gang seem almost enviable. However, they continually struggle to regain the semblance of their former humanity, even as they try to ‘save’ the humans from themselves. Immortality, it seems, is not all it’s cracked up to be.
At one point they reclaim an empty town, transforming it into a weird version of a 50′s utopia modeled on Archie comics and 50′s sitcoms. The ludicrous situation of xombies attending High School provides plenty of laughs, gore, and surprisingly, pity.
From the opposite side we follow the surviving humans, who struggle against each other as well as the undead. Their own campaign to save mankind from God’s wrath mirrors the xombie’s method of salvation – with less than gentle methods.
Though Apocalypso is the third book in the series, the author does a wonderful job of integrating the backstory into the plot. Even readers new to the trilogy will be pulled along by the adventure and its characters. There’s no need to read the previous books to understand what’s happening; however, once you’ve read this book you’ll almost certainly want more.
Walter Greatshell’s novel delivers a smart, satisfying read to fans of the undead apocalypse. If you’ve read the previous novels, you shouldn’t be disappointed; and if you haven’t, this one stands on its own.
Xombies: Apocalypso [Paperback] is available from ACE."
--Catherine Russell
http://www.ganymeder.com
FunctionalNerds.com
The story begins with the most apt quote imaginable – “Comedy is not pretty.” This observation is confirmed repeatedly throughout the novel – a story where the undead pine for their lost humanity, a blue Elvis performs onstage, and the salvation of the world just might depend on a Beatles cover band.
As the third novel in the Xombies trilogy, Apocalypso follows the exploits of the Xombies and humans alike. Lulu Pangloss guides her fellow xombies in their neverending quest to “save” the living. Meanwhile, surviving humans fight a holy war against each other. The ultimate goal of both sides is to reach Xanadu – a haven of survivors which claims to have formed a society where humans and xombies can live side by side.
The superhuman strength, invulnerability, and fearlessness of Lulu and her gang seem almost enviable. However, they continually struggle to regain the semblance of their former humanity, even as they try to ‘save’ the humans from themselves. Immortality, it seems, is not all it’s cracked up to be.
At one point they reclaim an empty town, transforming it into a weird version of a 50′s utopia modeled on Archie comics and 50′s sitcoms. The ludicrous situation of xombies attending High School provides plenty of laughs, gore, and surprisingly, pity.
From the opposite side we follow the surviving humans, who struggle against each other as well as the undead. Their own campaign to save mankind from God’s wrath mirrors the xombie’s method of salvation – with less than gentle methods.
Though Apocalypso is the third book in the series, the author does a wonderful job of integrating the backstory into the plot. Even readers new to the trilogy will be pulled along by the adventure and its characters. There’s no need to read the previous books to understand what’s happening; however, once you’ve read this book you’ll almost certainly want more.
Walter Greatshell’s novel delivers a smart, satisfying read to fans of the undead apocalypse. If you’ve read the previous novels, you shouldn’t be disappointed; and if you haven’t, this one stands on its own.
Xombies: Apocalypso [Paperback] is available from ACE."
--Catherine Russell
http://www.ganymeder.com
FunctionalNerds.com
