C.V. Hunt's Blog, page 24

Book Review: Zombie Maelstrom by Bryan Cassiday

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[image error] 3 out of 5Virulent pocketsof plague, first reported in China, break out worldwide and spread withmind-boggling speed. CIA black ops agent Chad Halverson flies to Los Angeles tovisit his brother after receiving a call that his brother has been hospitalizedafter a car accident. Halverson's Boeing 737 crash-lands in an eerie LosAngeles shrouded with an impenetrable haze of smog. But that is only the tip ofthe iceberg of Halverson's nightmare. Lurking in this mist are legions ofplague-infected living dead who are driven by an all-consuming lust for humanflesh. Halverson's reunion with his brother must take second place to his ownstruggle to stay alive.

As civilization crumbles into chaos, it will take all the skills and witsHalverson and his fellow passengers possess for their hunted party to survivein a world overrun with hordes of flesh-craving zombies. Which will pose abigger threat to Halverson and his ever-dwindling band--their own bickering asthey try to organize and defend themselves, their enemies the living dead, orthe new "civilization" of men that is superseding the old?


REVIEW:
Zombie Maelstromis filled with the repetition of killing the virus riddled dead. It tells thestory of a group of survivors trying to make it through the zombie apocalypsewith limited information.
Chad Halversonknows that something is amiss with the so-called plague, because he works forthe CIA. Chad keeps what information that he has to himself, as he, and a groupof plane crash survivors try to make heads or tails of what is happening. Theaction keeps rolling as the group is devastated over and over by the onslaughtof the undead.
The storyreminded me of Night Of The Living Dead, but in a bug out scenario. My biggestcomplaint about the story is that I couldn't find anything that hasn't beenportrayed in every zombie movie or book in the last 40 plus years: A couple ofleaders, an over opinionated jerk (that everyone wants to see get offed), agirl that seems to lose her marbles, some one that flips out under the pressure,a group of renegades that want to build their own government, and then a fewstragglers that just seem to waste space and resources.
There are a twothings I consider when I read a zombie book.
ONE: What makesthis different from every other one that I've read?
With ZombieMaelstrom I couldn't seem to find anything that struck me as different. Butwith that said, there are quite a few zombie fans that love the repetition ofthe zombie 'slash and dash' story. They want the gore and carnage, and theyaren't looking for anything but the overflow of an all-consuming virus. Forthose people I would suggest this book.
TWO: Being azombie coinsure, I look for whether or not I would have stayed with this group ifI were there.
I'm sorry BryanCassiday, I would have cut and run from this group as soon as possible. The inevitabilityof my death would have had me hightailing it out of there as soon as I was ableto obtain a weapon. With this group they took too much time overanalyzing theirevery move, and bickered amongst themselves under the siege of zombies.
If you like thetried and true zombies of 1964 then Zombie Maelstrom is for you.
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Author Spotlight: Guy Harrison

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GuyHarrison is a Phoenix area-based author raised in Philadelphia. Once anaspiring sportscaster, Harrison has worked in public relations in highereducation for the past six years. Agents of Change is his debut novel. Hecurrently lives in Chandler, Arizona with his wife Lindsay and their two cats.
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Anamiable corporate manager by day and a fledgling matchmaker whenever he can getaround to it, Calvin Newsome's new dream job falls into his lap when he'srecruited by a secret worldwide organization whose agents use uncanny abilitiesto empower and influence everyday downtrodden individuals. Disaster strikes,however, when an elaborate scheme leaves Calvin as a prime murder suspect…andhis new employer is presumably to blame.
With theauthorities on his heels and his life left in ruin, Calvin uses his new powersto blend in until a journey for freedom becomes a quest for peace. As theagency's rival organization threatens the security of all of earth'sinhabitants, Calvin teams up with unlikely allies and battles startling enemieshellbent on unleashing their power in a twisted version of justice, innocentlives be damned. 




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In my world of writing.

Since this area of my site is titled "Updates/Reviews" Ifeel obligated to fulfill the first half of that title every once in a while. 
My site has been changed up a bit if you haven't noticed. I get bored with a look after a while, and my husband suggested the catch phrase: Do Not Dispose Of In Fire! It's the warning that is on some electronic and batteries due to they may explode in a fire. He thought it was a funny pun on burning books, and I thought what the heck. 
I'll move on to other business. Iguess I will answer the question that I get asked the most.
Q: Are you writing right now?
A: At this point, I'm sort on hiatus. Within two months Iwill have published three works, and promoting all three is becoming anightmare. 
First there is DanseMacabre, a novella that is not related to the Endlessly series. It's a zombie story mixed with satire, but not themodern disease riddled corpses that we call zombies. It's based on the originsof zombies – Voodoo.
Second, I was part of a love poetry anthology, Love Notes.  It was published on January 31 in hopes ofpromoting it for Valentine's Day. You can find out more about these first twoby clicking the pages on my site.
And third, Phantom,the finale of the Endlessly trilogywill be out February 29. This has caused writing to come to a crawl and almosta standstill as I read through the final review of Phantom.
So, am I writing right now? Not really. I've been piddlingwith some poetry, because that doesn't require long nights in front of acomputer. This way I can devote more time to reviewing Phantom. Also, I've played with the idea of compiling all my miscellaneouspoetry, (unsung) songs, and paintings into a random picture book.
I do have three books started though.
The one that is closest to completion is Switch. For those of you that follow myposts, you know that this book is related to the Endlessly trilogy. It's sort of a companion book, as it takes placein the same world as the trilogy, but the characters are a bit different. Thewhole concept was to "switch" sides, (hence the name) and see all of the eventsthat unfolded in the trilogy from the eyes of the Quatre. It would include thethings that you heard about through the books, but never actually got towitness due to the first person perspective. The Endlessly world is rough and cruel, but the Quatre are even worse.
The second book that I have started is a bit off of myregular path, and it doesn't have a name yet. It's my attempt a bizzaro fiction.If you haven't heard of this genre before, Google it.
The third book is only a budding; actually it's only achapter. But that is how its predecessor started out – Danse Macabre. I originally was dead set that Danse Macabre would be a standalone novella, if you've read thestory you can see why. But like everything else that I write, the story justkeeps playing in my head when I'm done typing.
That's where I stand, and will probably stay until after Phantom's release. Until then, inbetween reviewing Phantom, I think I'llpick up my paint brush and work on some projects that I have in mind. 

Oh yeah, there is still a Goodreads giveaway going on for Danse Macabre too:

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Goodreads Book Giveaway Danse Macabre by C.V. Hunt Giveaway ends February 29, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

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For Valentine's Day...

[image error] Love shared, love in secret, celebrated, exploded. Unrequited longing and love that's mellowed through the years. Love at long distance, across continents, so close there's no space to breathe, or never quite close enough. Love lost and love found. Love from the inside out and love from the outside in. 
Love Notes has it all: a collection of poetry as diverse as the experience of falling in love itself. A shared candied apple, a farewell at Paddington Station, a name scribbled in a notebook, a face that leaves us breathless, a single word that changes our life forever. Love Notes is a rich tapestry of verse woven from fragments of life and those moments that make falling in love so irresistible. And so inevitable. 
Love is unique, love is universal. Love is everywhere.
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Q: What's this? Love? Isn't this site and author dedicated to horror, paranormal, and all the things that go bump in the night?
A: Yes, I am dedicated to the darker side of fiction, but even monsters need love too. 
I submitted some poetry for a Love themed anthology through Vagabondage Press, and was accepted. The intent of the anthology was to give those who are unable to express their love in words, a unique gift to give for Valentine's Day. So here it is, the result of challenging myself to write something that wasn't drenched in blood, or covered in gore.
Available in paperback and eBook. The links where you can obtain it are below:
Vagabondage Press - paperback and eBookCreatespace - paperbackAmazon - paperback and KindleBarnes and Noble - Nook

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Book Review: Hellwatch: Pilot Episode by Larime Taylor

[image error] A youngdisabled woman in a wheelchair protects an unaware world from demons andmonsters.



[image error] 5 out of 5 Ester Vasquez, born with arthrogryposis, hunts the monsters and demons thathide from the unsuspecting masses along with her 6'8, 360lbs Samoan careprovider, Sammy. In episode one - 'Pilot' - Ester and Sammy travel just overthe Mexican border from their home in Arizona to help a little boy possessed bya demon, but what awaits them when they return home is far worse than anythingthey've ever faced. It will take all of Ester's brains and Sammy's brawn torepel an attack that threatens not just years of hard work, but their lives aswell.
Hellwatch is planned to be an ongoing serial fiction series told in 9 monthly'episode' novellas per 'season'. This is the pilot episode, and if wellreceived, 8 more will follow each month starting in January 2012.


http://larimetaylor.com/

REVIEW:
The opening ofHellwatch had me hooked:
Ester Vasquez was not a big fan of theMan Upstairs. As she saw things, He was a quitter, just like the father thatshe never knew. She eventually came to the conclusion that the deist belief ina clockmaker God that created the universe and simply walked away was prettymuch on the money. He had long ago lost interest in His creation, or maybe Hehand never been interested at all. Praying to an invisible man in the skyseemed, as the late George Carlin once said, just as effective as praying toJoe Pesci. She wasn't an atheist, however – she knew He existed, at some point in time. He just didn't care anymore. How did sheknow this?
Ester hunted demons and monsters.
Ester Vasquezhas a straight forward character that peppers her conversations with sarcasmand humor. With a warmhearted Samuel as her care provider, she fights more thanjust her inner demons of doubt, life, and creation, but the real demons risingup from hell.
Jacob used towork for the Catholic Church as a priest, but he left after trying to convincethe church that there are cracks in their foundation. He taught Ester how toexercise the possessed using faith, but she abandoned it for a more scientificapproach.
Ester and Samuelwork as a team using her method of demon removal. In this story they head toMexico to help a boy that has been possessed, but once the incantation startsthey find out that they may be in over the heads. Ester's strong headednesskeeps her from backing out of the ritual. She more than proves that beingdisabled by arthrogryposis is notgoing to stop her. Ester takes down the strong demon with little fight as thecreature bellows about her darkest secrets.
It was easier than she had first feared… too easy.
Things just don't sit right with Ester about the incident. The thingsthat demon spoke about, the branch of hierarchy that the creature came from,and the ease of its removable have her worried. She plans on recuperating athome before they set out again, but other forces have different plans for her.
Larime Taylorhas written an addictive pilot for Hellwatch. I flew through this episode, andwas left with a feeling of wanting more. This is just the start of serialfiction series, which is getting harder and harder to find. I look forward toreading the rest of them. I would suggest this to anyone that likes to readabout the battles between good and evil, or for someone that is looking for astrong-willed protagonist that can overcome anything that life throws at them.  

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Want a chance to win 16 eBooks!

I entered into a cover poll contest for my newest novella "Danse Macabre", and one lucky voter will win a digital copy of every book that is in the contest. Check it out here: http://shannonmayer.blogspot.com/2012... Hurry though, voting ends at midnight on 1/31/2012, the same night that my "Phantom" proof copy contest ends. Vote for your favorite artist here: http://www.authorcvhunt.com/p/contest...

Book Review: Chuggie And The Desecration Of Stagwater by Brent Michael Kelley

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[image error] 5 out of 5In the firstinstallment of Mischief Mayhem Want and Woe, Brent Michael Kelley unleashes thehorrors of Desecration on Stagwater. 
Norchug Mot Losiat, Chuggie to his friends, is Brother Drought. When, in hisrambling, he stumbles upon the remote city of Stagwater, he finds love,temptation, and treachery. He fights against men, demons, and his own nature tobattle the sinister forces threatening the city. But Chuggie? All he wants is aboat.
http://www.brentmichaelkelley.com

REVIEW:
There is a towncalled Stagewater that has a river running through it. It would seem normal bycomparison to any other town, but there are things brewing that most of itscitizens don't know about.
The town isunder the protections of Steel Jacks (robot aliens from another planet), andrun by the magistrate, Haste, and his lackeys. Haste and his tight group of counseluse a method call tourgery to collect the sorrow from Stagewater's citizens. Bydrinking in the sorrow, they enter into the Pheonal Trance, which allows Hasteto predict the future of Stagwater. It's deemed a necessary evil for thegreater good of the city.
One of Haste'strances induces the vision of a traveler that will bring the destruction of thetown. The word is spread to send any strangers north of the city walls.
Disease, Fire,Flood, and Drought were all born somewhere around the beginning of time.Norchug Mot Losiat, better known as Chuggie, is the incarnation of Drought. Hisgoals aren't by any means hard; he just wants to make it to the ocean with his anchorand chain, which is attached to his ribs.
FROM THE BOOK:
"I'm want. It means I thirst. It meansI'm poor. It means something's missing. It means I fall short." Chuggie spat ata mossy log. His eyes pointed at the ground, but his gaze pointed inward.
"That sounds like you get the losing endof the stick. If that's really true, why would you keep on trying."
"It's just true enough." Chuggiesquinted. "Result is I don't waste a lot of time makin' plans. Usually just go.Livin' like that can really shake the confidence if you aren't as amazing asol' Chuggers." His smile returned.
On his way tothe ocean his anchor gets snagged in a tree outside of Stagwater. Gaurds aresent to direct him north, and by all means, keep him out of the city.
Chuggie growsupset with the way that he has been treated and suspects that the guards haveused a spell on him. So he defies their request to head north and wanderssouth. South of Stagwater he finds a witch that has been banished fromStagwater and bound to the place that she lives. Chuggie has to free her, butfirst he needs to bring her some items, and this involves entering Stagwater…and heading north. What lies to the north? No one knows, because no one evercomes back.
Brent MichaelKelley did an excellent job of creating a colorful cast of characters forChuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater. Demons, alien robots, incarnates,witches, and animated objects all come together to create a great dark fantasythat will stick with me. I loved it, and I'm glad that I had a chance to readit. 

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What's happening in my world?

Not anything spectacular. 
I currently have the last five chapters of Phantom to review, and have made a video of me reading the first chapter. Here it is:(My site www.authorcvhunt.com, feeds to several others. If you do not see a video here, you can view it on You Tube at http://youtu.be/WecbFBUy084)
I would suggest that you read the first chapter on my site. I've never done a reading before, and this didn't turn out the greatest. My latest date for Phantom to be available for purchase is 2/29/2012. It may be ready before this date, but I know that at the very latest it will be the last day of February. Publishing as an indie author can be very fickle, and it is hard to nail down an exact date when each site takes up to 48 hours to process the files.
Also, Danse Macabre should be available on all channels by now. It seems to be getting a better reception than the Endlessly series, even though it is a shorter story. I've been asked already if I am going to write a sequel. The answer: I don't know, yet. I'd like to see how the first one goes. Here is the trailer: (Trailer can be seen at http://youtu.be/ILFBso4krE8 and the first chapter can be read at http://www.authorcvhunt.com/p/danse-macabre.html along with all the links for purchase.)
If you would like to enter for a chance to read Danse Macabre for free, check out the giveaway being hosted on Goodreads. .goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; -moz-border-radius: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(http://goodreads.com/images/layout/gr... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(http://goodreads.com/images/layout/gr... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway Danse Macabre by C.V. Hunt Giveaway ends February 29, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win I just approved my proof of the Love Note anthology, which is scheduled for release on 1/31/2012, just in time for gift giving on Valentine's Day. It will be available for purchase on the publishers site http://www.vagabondagepress.com, and I will add amazon's link when it is available.

It's sort of busy here, but I felt as though I should update you guys. Don't forget to check out the Phantom proof copy contest http://www.authorcvhunt.com/p/contest.html and vote for your favorite artist. The deadline for voting is 1/31/2012. One person will get the chance to read Phantom before the rest of the world. Thank you, to all the artist that entered.

Book Review: 61 A.D. by David McAfee

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http://mcafeeland.wordpress.com/

[image error] 4 out of 5Britannia, 61A.D. For ten years, Taras has lived in the young city of Londinium, feeding offthe city's underbelly. But now Theron, his old enemy, has come looking forrevenge, and Taras' nights of living in relative peace are about to end.


Yet not even Theron can slip into town unnoticed, and the Council of Thirteensends Ramah to deal with the two renegades once and for all. But unknown to theCouncil, a much older enemy is also in Londinium, and this time even the greatRamah might not be safe.

Set against the backdrop of the Iceni uprising in Roman-era Britannia, 61 A.D.continues the story of Taras, Theron, and Ramah, as they fight their waythrough history.

REVIEW:
61 A.D. is thesequel to 31 A.D. and is written by David McAfee. I found the first book veryinventive and well researched, and I was gladly given the chance to read thesequel.
The Iceni and Trinovantetribes have band together in an attempt to overthrow the Romans fortransgressions they've suffered. Their plan is to destroy all the Romans in acoordinated a siege on the city of Londinium. This all happened in the year 61A.D., and thus is the backdrop for this book.
Taras, a Roman,was accidentally turned into a Bachiyr (the term for vampire used through thisseries), and Theron has vowed to hunt him down to kill him. Taras'transformation was a mistake, and it has cost Theron dearly. Theron is nolonger in the good graces of The Counsel of Thirteen, and has become what healways sought to slaughter – a renegade vampire.
Now Ramah, theBlood Letter, and second in command of The Counsel of Thirteen, is sent to huntdown Theron and being him back alive for his punishment. Theron is chasingTaras, and Ramah is chasing Theron, and now Ramah is being chased by a phantomthat the Counsel has long sought after. All of this is happening amongst theslaughter of Londinium.
The conspiracystill lingers in the world of vampires, and no one can be trusted.
FROM THE BOOK:
"I should like to know what I am agreeingto before I agree to it."
"That is not the deal," she said,jangling the keys for effect. "Agree to my terms or die with the sun. Youchoose."
The Bachiyr turned his head toward theeastern horizon. The sky had begun to lighten slightly. It had not turned pinkyet, but the black of night no longer reached the ground. Sunrise was an houraway at most. He turned his face back to her, his thin lips tightened into agrin.
"It would seem I have little choice," hesaid.
The story ofDavid McAfee's vampires is well written. The research is phenomenal in order toplace the vampires in a race across time. I love how David has brought thevampire back to his basics – being a monster. This book was good compilation tofirst book, but I found some of the backstory slightly repetitive. Overall Iwould definitely recommend this series for the reader that's looking formurderous vampires. 

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Book Review: Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh

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[image error] 4 out of 5
What happenswhen resources become scarce and society starts to crumble? As the competitionfor resources pulls America's previous stable society apart, the "NewNormal" is a Soft Apocalypse. This is how our world ends; with a whimperinstead of a bang.
REVIEW:
Soft Apocalypseby Will McIntosh isn't a book that I normal read. There were no zombies,vampires, werewolves, or even a ghost that went bump in the night within itspages. The story is scary for reasons that monsters cannot compete with. Thehorror that lays in wait in this book is so close to reality, it's scary.
The story startsin the year 2023, and follows a single male named Jasper just over the courseof ten years, as the economy tanks, society falls apart, and the unemploymentrate jumps to over sixty percent. His journey trudged through life, love,murder, and what it takes to survive in a crumbling world.
This is just thebeginning of the story.
FROM THE BOOK:

And for the past ten years things had onlygotten worse. Blackouts, war, fifty-seven varieties of terrorists, watershortages, plagues. It reminded me of a story about frogs: if you put them inan open pot of water and turn on the burner, they just sit there and boil todeath, because they're not equipped to recognize and respond to gradual changesin water temperature. They could jump out at any time, but there never comes atime when their little brains judge it's time to jump. So they cook.
Imagine a worldwhere middle-class no longer exists. There are the rich, and the homeless, andthen there are those who are fed up. People with college degrees and no jobsfor them. It's a world full of scientists, doctors, researchers, and chemists…all shunned, and living in the streets. They have nothing left to lose andnothing to provide but their knowledge.
While the worldis at war with its self, the citizens have decided to turn the terror that istheir lives, into special kinds of terrorism to sooth themselves. Now there is abreed of eco-terrorism, bio-terrorism and even viral-terrorism spreading, asgroups of vigilante citizens blame the rich, the government, and even fellowcitizens for the world falling apart.
One group hasinvented a virus that won't cure the world that is falling apart, but to helpyou forget the hell that the world has become. Homeless tribes must decidebetween starving to death as world falls apart, or join a group of cultist intheir ignorant bliss as the world burns.

If you want to readsomething truly terrifying, find something that could very easily becomereality. 


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