Samyann's Blog, page 8

The Disruption Trilogy by R. E. McDermott

The world is hit by solar flares – disrupting power grids across the world. This story is primarily in the USA. There are opportunistic Presidents, who care nothing about this country, citizens, anything but power – you don’t need to stretch your imagination with this portrayal – think Trump. A good-guy Cabinet member who is on the run. A couple of good guy military men trying to protect the nation, and a slew of grizzly jerks that are trying to destroy it all in order to protect themselves.

It’s an apocalypse story with all the ramifications. Low supplies, bad people, good people. Bad guys are militia preppers, bikers, escaped prisoners. Good guys are that portion of our military and government that haven’t been corrupted. These stories will always disappoint with regard to the nature of man. Within a few days, we’re killing each other – doesn’t say much for Americans. But, given what is going on in this country, armed militias, and the visceral hate of our fellow Americans because of a political bent, maybe it’s spot on. Ultimately, all but about 30 million of us die – the story doesn’t say much about the rest of the world. Amazing that man will turn so evil in so short a time. Within days, women are raped, children killed, all for what may be in their pantry.

Narration is slow – bumped the reading up to 1.4 on the iPhone, but not distracting from the story – so okay.

Recommended for those interested in apocalypse aftermath. No sex, some offensive language – but realistic.

The ending of this long saga is the voice of the author – asking for an Audible review. Here ‘ya go R.E. McDermott!

The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan

A writing convention that authors will love. Chapters are written in 1st person by the protagonist for that particular chapter. These include Jocelyn, a 30-something widow, her mother, Lady Virginia Holt, and of course, Hannah, The Nanny. If you’re an author stumbling through your first novel, tell anyone who insists you decide on a point of view and stick with it that they can “Shove it.” This is a terrific novel that has thrown POV to the wind.

Plot. As the only child of an aristocratic family, Jocelyn is cared for by Hannah and adores her. Virginia, Jocelyn’s mother, is one of those women who should never have had a child. She loves Jocelyn, but continually demures to Hannah, with relief. Jo is left devastated by the sudden disappearance of Hannah. Cut to 25 or so years later. Suddenly widowed with a child of her own, Jocelyn returns to the stuffy Holt estate, to the welcoming arms of the aging mother she despises. Confronted with job hunting and in desperate need of child care, Jocelyn is saved by the doorbell – Hannah has returned. But … is it really Hannah? Why did she leave so long ago? Virginia is positive this is not Hannah, it couldn’t be, but …

Thus is the thrust of page-turning mystery. Kept me up late! No sex, no objectionable language. Written by Gilly Macmillan, about eleven hours of listening, nicely narrated by Clare Corbett, Patience Tomlinson, and Ben Eliot. Smooth transitions you won’t notice. Released in September 2019 by HarperAudio.

Highly recommended mystery!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a fictional tale of WWII around the lives of two sisters who each, in their own way, are resisters to the Nazi occupation of France. Unique in personalities, one a boisterous and vocal resister, joins an active effort as the Nightingale, escorting downed pilots to safety. The other works at saving as many Jewish children as she can, via a local orphanage and hiding her best friend’s child under the noses of Nazi’s that billet in her home. The two women are polar in their approach, to the point of a volatile relationship. The Nightingale is also a love story. The love within a family, of friends, a common cause.

The story is graphic, very description, and is an extraordinary picture of the poverty and abuse suffered by the French during Nazi occupation. Difficult passages. If you are squeamish about the topics of the camps, SS  brutality, this isn’t for you. Although The Nighingale is fiction, the fundamentals of this story are a reflection of a truth we must “never forget”.

Nothing about this book I didn’t like, however, I bumped the speed to 1.25 on the iPhone – a bit slow in narration – which is otherwise fine. The story is gripping enough for the reading to disappear – ergo, no issues. No sex, no disturbing language, nothing objectionable in the prose.

Narrated by Polly Stone, 17.5 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in February 2015 by Macmillan Audio. Historical. Recommended.

A Warning by Anonymous

This book is published as insider information. The author tells us they work in the White House in an effort to keep the ship afloat, as it were. Anonymous warns of impending catastrophe if we don’t act … now. For us to “act”, the John Q. Public that we are, is ultimately limited to the voting booth, or running for office. Most of us do not have the power to impeach, convict, etc, at this moment. We’re told the long term salvation of our democracy calls on Americans to exercise their right – vote. Vote now, in a local, general, primary, ALL election opportunities that are presented to us MUST be taken seriously. We ignore the downward spiral of our country at our peril. The collapse of America will be OUR fault if we do nothing.

Frankly, I appreciate a “grown-up” in the room. However … this person has no right to keep silent. If he/she has any true patriotism, as one would believe by the words in this book, they would come forward. There is an impeachment trial going on at this writing. You, Anonymous, must do as you are telling us to do, be a patriot. Which, in my opinion, is testifying before the United States Senate.

Little in this book would be considered by most to be revealing. If you can envision Trump screaming at his staff, throwing papers across the Resolute desk, unable to focus or read, hanging up on diplomats, spending hours in the residence Tweeting, being obsessed with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, crowd-sizes, being hustled out of town to do a rally by his staff so they can rest … and the staff in fear of  “He’s going to do something…..” completely unaware of what that might be or how it can be spun or controlled, you’ve pretty much got the gist. Should Anonymous testify, Trump’s mental stability, fitness for office, control of wars and nuclear buttons, would no longer be in question – he is mad.

Narration is fine, no issues. No sex or objectionable language.

A Warning is narrated by Robert Fass, about nine hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in November of 2019 by “Twelve”.

Polar Vortex by Matthew Mather

Plot. Polar Vortex is a survival tale/mystery. A large passenger plane, en route to New York City from Hong Kong,  crashes in the area of the north pole with several hundred people aboard. The protagonist, Mitch, is traveling with his five-year-old daughter, Lilly. Survival of frostbite, frigid cold, freezing water, polar winds, a cracking ice floe holding the plane from sinking to the depths. Hungry polar bears, dwindling food supplies and more. That, alone, is gripping story-telling. However, there is also a mystery: Why did the plane go down? There are bullet holes, jettisoned fuel, an unidentified crew member, a Russian, Chinese maintenance men, a conspiracy theory nutjob, a hull full of explosive batteries, a bio-weapon. Choices galore!

Liked. You’ll never guess the outcome. The who-done-it aspect of Polar Vortex is well done. Some of the scenes are hair-raising. BTW, the name has little to do with the plot. It’s simply a weather/ocean phenomenon. Narration is great. No issues.

Not so hot. The story is longer than necessary, in my opinion, scattered with about two-three hours of filler not relevant to the ultimate story and I found my finger hovering over a ‘skip’ button. Could have used more editing.

Written by Matthew Mather, narrated by Tom Taylorson, just over ten hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in April 2019 by Blackstone Publishing.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Plot. The protagonist of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an old widower of Chinese descent named Henry who reveals, through a series of flashbacks, his childhood in Seattle, WA and his love of a Japanese girl, Keiko, during WWII.

The story begins with the Panama Hotel. Japanese families, including Keiko’s, stored as much of their worldly goods as they could in the basement. A 1986 renovation reveals these treasures still exist. Through a series of chapters in modern-day, and flashbacks to the early 1940s, the reader is treated to an extraordinary slice of American history during the war, i.e., the fear of and internment of Japanese Americans. The resilient love of a man and the women in his life is a touching story; the familial stubborn tension between father and son is sad and life-altering.

Research the  Panama Hotel in Seattle. The story, albeit a novel, is based on history. The hotel exists today, parts are a museum,  as it was used by the Japanese forced to leave their homes and belongings because of the Japanese internment. Stories sprinkled with real history are a treat to read. The characters are fictional, the history is true. Narration took a while to get used to. The narrator is of Asian descent, a great choice.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is written by Jamie Ford, narrated by Feodor Chin, about eleven hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in January 2009 by Random House Audio.

Recommended.

The Pine Deep Trilogy by Jonathan Maberry

The Pine Trilogy consists of three novels, Ghost Road Blues, Dead Man’s Song, and Bad Moon Rising. This review addresses all three. In unabridged audiobook format, these stories are each between 15-18 hours of listening, all released in the summer/fall of 2011 by Blackstone Audio, and are narrated by Tom Weiner.

Plot. The Pine Trilogy takes place in modern-day Pine Deep, a rural town with a local claim to fame of being haunted with zombies, werewolves, and sundry ghouls of the night. Folks travel far and wide to visit the town, the souvenir shops of bloody fangs, dead rats, scary masks, or take a ride on a haunted trail in a haywagon. Halloween is a huge draw. No secrets to give away, but … it is bereft of legends and the bad guys are real. The town fights back through a never-ending, bloody mess. If you’re into the macabre, drooling, blood drizzling down walls or your shirt front, shooting with abandon even at ghoulish children, cockroaches and slugs falling out of eyes or ….. well, enjoy.

Liked. The storyline is good. We’re dealing with creepy characters and good guys. To get the most from the series, start with the first book, Ghost Road Blues, as the characters and story traverse all three books. It’s a horror story, hide behind the sofa, leave the lights on terror. Book three is the best, the story and writing improve. The narration is fine, no issues. Nice research into the mythology of werewolves, vampires, et al.

Not so hot. There is grizzly and brutal abuse throughout. Children become ghouls/zombies and get blown to smithereens as do hundreds of people. Women are sexually brutalized and beaten. A teenaged boy is particularly victimized. Some characters you begin to like are turned into heinous vampires, etc.

Recommend for lovers of horror stories and the stomachs to handle some extraordinarily gruesome scenes.

   

The Highway Quartet by C. J. Box

This series consists of five books ranging in length from nine to eleven hours of listening. Although not required to enjoy the mysteries, it’s strongly suggested that you read them in order – sequential events will make more sense.

Plot. Back of Beyond features an alcoholic cop. The lead character, Cody, struggles through a boozy haze to rescue some kidnapped kids. His story continues through the first 1/3 of The Highway. Following through the remaining stories, Badlands, Paradise Valley, and Bitterroots, his partner, Cassie is featured as the lead character. Having a take-no-prisoners attitude, Cassie works her way through grizzly murders including those of a crazed truck driver’s abuse of ‘lot lizards’, the truck stop prostitutes, to satisfying conclusions.

Liked. No explicit sex, no language inappropriate to the character or scene, nothing gratuitous. Good mysteries, albeit a bit grizzly at times. Narration is fine – there are three. No issues.

Not so hot. There are some eye-rolling instances of coincidence that will have you mutter, ‘That’s a stretch.’, especially in Bitterroots.

Good reads, a series to enjoy! Recommended for the murder mystery lover.

   

 

The Institute by Stephen King

The Institute is not a typical Stephen King horror story. Nothing paranormal, no ghosts, no clicking knees, nothing slimy jumps at you from a grave, closet,  or sewer grate.

Plot: The Institute begins with the tale of a burned-out cop drifting to a small town and taking a menial job in the local police department. The Institute will likely be a movie, so… “cut” to a ten-year-old boy being kidnapped, his parents being murdered. The boy is taken to The Institute, a place using the powers of mentally gifted children to manipulate world events, including assassinations and murder. These brilliant kids are extraordinary telepaths subjected to physical torture and abuse that does not fade to black. The paths of the little boy and the cop cross.

Liked. Story… King is a great storyteller. The Institute is descriptive, lots of characters to like and hate, and it’s easy to follow. Narration, fine. No sex, no objectionable language inappropriate to the scene or character.

Not so hot. The Institute is verbose, purple prose. Close to nineteen hours of listening could have been edited to ten-twelve. It’s also very disturbing to anyone who will become queasy reading of child abuse – there is allot. In fact, most of the story is fear, intimidation, and the physical and mental abuse of kids – and it is graphic abuse. Disappointed in The Institute. Just not into child abuse.

Narrated by Santino Fontana, about nineteen hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in September 2019 by Simon & Schuster Audio.

Godzilla by Greg Keyes

This audiobook is actually called Godzilla: King of the Monsters – The Official Movie Novelization. Ergo, a movie converted to the novel format. A codicil to this review, I’ve not seen this movie, but have seen several others.

Plot. In this book, Godzilla exists, as do other big bad creatures, but they’ve been dormant. A married couple develops a prototype they call ORCA, a machine emitting sounds that are hypnotic siren songs to animals, specifically large killers, etc.. The two decide that the ability to manipulate these creatures isn’t such a good idea, and destroy their machine. Divorce, ten years later. Begin a story about the sudden appearance and deliberate release of The Titans, several monsters. Mothra, Godzilla, Moth, Monster Zero, etc., ten or twelve. They fight and kill each other and knock around cities, people, kill millions. The wife is in on this skullduggery thinking that mankind should live with these creatures peacefully, she has rebuilt ORCA. Hubby is the good guy trying to stop the world-wide carnage and rescue his daughter.

Liked. No sex scenes, no objectionable language inappropriate to the character or scene. The narration is fine.

Not so hot. Listening to this audiobook will not likely be a motivation to see the movie. You’ll go see the movie if you like Godzilla movies. Godzilla, since the very beginning in the 1950s when the big guy demolished Tokyo with Raymond Burr skittering for his life, is a visual/special effects movie, always. This book just doesn’t do it.

If you’re into the Godzilla-type genre, see the movie. The old adage of “ya just gotta see it” stands firm; the book cannot give you those thrilling visuals. Description is lacking in the book, probably because the author decided to let you visualize for yourself, i.e., “see the movie”.

Narrated by Michael Braun, about nine hours of listening in unabridged audiobook, released in May 2019 by Blackstone Audio.