A.B. Shepherd's Blog, page 18

Controversial question and book review - Daimones by Massimo Marino

Book Blurb:
Dan and his family awake one day in a world where everyone is dead but no evidence points to a cause. Initial searches for survivors yield nothing and, in panic, the family turns their house into a stronghold.

Eventually, they find Laura, a survivor who manages to win their hearts...and leads Dan to temptation. Laura reveals her panicking encounter with strange entities which Dan recognizes in his childhood hallucinations.

He forces himself to find and confront them: An older power controls the fate of men. A few selected will face the ultimate quest: a painful genetic transformation and work toward the rebirth of a new human race, or oblivion and death in isolation.
My review:I was given an ebook copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Boy am I conflicted in how I feel about this one. I'm into post-apocalyptic books right now so I was really intrigued by the synopsis and when the author told me the "entities" weren't zombies (I'm a bit over zombies) I was curious to find out more.  
The book is a slow starter and I think it is far longer than it needs to be. There is a lot of repetition and  philosophizing that I just didn't enjoy. The dialogue feels stilted and unnatural. The writing throughout has a European feel and I'm not saying that is a bad thing, but it feels a little awkward to American and/or Australian readers. If you've read books by European writers that won't bother you. But here's where I really had a problem.
***SPOILER ALERT***When I got to the part where Dan is seduced by Laura I couldn't help thinking this book has been written by a middle-aged man who is vicariously living out his fantasies through his characters. Middle-aged guy gets seduced by hot young thing WITH HIS WIFE'S PRIOR APPROVAL AND HELP PLANNING THE SEDUCTION ??? Uh huh. Sure. I could see the group agreeing to having him impregnate Laura for the whole survival of the species thing, but I think there would be a whole lot more jealousy and emotional conflict regarding this whole situation - which wasn't shown here except that Mary got quiet. Turning it into polyamory was a bit much for me. Maybe European women are more open to this kind of thing. What do I know?
I did find a few conceptual similarities to my own book, which I thought was kind of cool. They aren't real similarities and I'm probably the only one who would see them, but cool nonetheless.
Now for what I did like - I actually liked the way the "entities" played into this and I liked the way the story played out and ended. I liked that it was set around the CERN Supercollider, and I enjoyed the science aspects. Again, too much philosophizing and ruminating, but an intriguing and enjoyable story and one I'm glad I read.  
So take my very conflicted review and do with it what you will. What do you think? Have I made you wantto read this? 

And bonus controversial question - it is the end of the world and as far as you know only you, your spouse and one other adult are the survivors - would you help the other adult seduce your spouse, not for the purposes of procreation but so they too would have someone to love?


Author bio - per Massimo Marino:
I’m Italian, or should I say, Sicilian. Palermo is my home town and I left it in 1986. I now have lived more years abroad than in Italy. Needless to say, I have changed in many and different way than my old friends there.

I lived in Switzerland, France, and the United States. For work, I used to travel some 500,000 air miles a year. I am a scientist as a background, having spent over 17 years in fundamental research. Most of my writing are academic stuff. I worked for many years at CERN, near Geneva—an international lab for particle physics research—then in the US at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. In 1995 I moved to the private sector, worked with Apple Inc., and then for the World Economic Forum.

Some say I have acquired a multi-faceted personality.

Author's website
http://www.facebook.com/massimo.marino.750546
Link to Amazon.com <http://amazon.com/>  page
http://www.amazon.com/Daimones-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B0083IHV5I

Link to Goodreads page
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15811231-daimones


 

Book review & Prize Pack Giveaway: Ravenous by Heidi Loney!

Today, Heidi Loney is offering a fabulous giveaway along with my review of her YA novel, Ravenous! The prize pack includes a paperback copy of Ravenous, an orange nylon tote with black straps and embroidered with the Ravenous logo, and the nail polish is from Avon.  The bag is very roomy: enough room for a towel, sunscreen, flip flops, a bottle of water and of course a great book!

Heidi has generously offered to ship this fabulous prize pack anywhere in the world so this is an international giveaway! Just enter the rafflecopter for your chance to win this fun prize pack.*






a Rafflecopter giveaway


Book Blurb:
Teenager Calla Ryan has had a tattoo on her arm since she was a baby, except that even her own parents have no idea where it came from. Unbeknownst to her, it is her link to her ancestry and her people. Daniel, the elder of the Northern Village, is the first to recognize it and the first to unlock the secrets of Calla’s past. In an overpopulated future, a malevolent government branch intends to strategically wipe out large segments of humanity, with the use of a viral weapon. When the weapon mutates, killing off half of earth’s inhabitants, Calla’s own genetic anomaly might be key in saving the remaining inhabitants of the Americas.

My review:
This is a fair and honest review provided in exchange for an ebook copy of Ravenous.

Ravenous is the debut novel of a promising author. It is set 100 years into the future, at a time when North America has become a single country - no more Canada, USA or Mexico. Food supplies are short, and the population is booming. Overweight children are sent by the government to fat camps for reeducation on their relationships with food. When Calla is sent to fat camp, she finds out it is not only the fat kids who've been sent there, and something is very wrong.

Meanwhile a virus has spread throughout the world, and hoards of starving "living zombies"  - or lombies - are roaming the streets.

This is a YA dystopian novel that feels primarily as though written for a younger audience, although it does contain some mature content. I liked the plot, but found the writing style a bit too simplistic for my tastes.

Heidi Loney, has a great imagination and a ton of potential. Keep an eye on this author and her coming works. 

About the author:
Heidi Loney lives in Toronto with her husband and two children. Before beginning her writing career, Heidi studied theatre at Ryerson University and worked as a costumer in many of Toronto's theatres. She spends much of her time blogging, drinking coffee and crafting, not necessarily in that order.


You can connect with Heidi on her website, Twitter, and Goodreads.*Distribution of prize pack is the sole responsibility of Heidi Loney. A.B. Shepherd is not liable for undelivered or misdelivered prizes.

The shame game - can I get a little respect?

Robert Kroese - Doesn't play well with others.*Correction - the title of his book is Schrodinger's Gat. I was so annoyed I didn't bother to read the title properly. Please forgive me.

If you know me at all, you will know that I don't like online drama and 99.9% of the time I try to be kind in my dealings with others. (That .1% - well no one is perfect.) I feel there is far too much meanness in the world as it is.

Just this one time, I am going to shame someone right here on my blog. Not to be mean, but because I feel demeaned and devalued by his treatment of me, as a blogger and as a person.

I recently received a review request from an author. It was a generic form letter in which he did not bother to insert my name in the greeting and did not follow the directions of my review policy. They are pretty straightforward after all.

I responded to that request by declining his offer to read his book based on those factors and suggested that in future requests he might want to treat bloggers as people rather than a means to an end by at least personalizing his requests.

This particular author, however, is apparently extremely arrogant and doesn't know how to play nice with others and I was quite offended by his response which was "Here's a personalized request for you to kiss my ass. Get over yourself."

Now, I don't have a big head here. I don't think my little blog changes lives, and even my book is not likely to be made into a movie, and will probably never even make a best seller list.

But I do ask to be treated with respect.

So I, again trying to be helpful, explained that I was hoping he would take my advice about personalizing his requests as he approaches other reviewers. His second response was as bad as the first.

He said "Thanks for being 'helpful.' I got a similar response from another douchebag reviewer 4 years ago when I self-published my first novel. That one went on to sell 60,000 copies. Fortunately I didn't listen to "helpful" people like you then either."

His website claims he is: "Writer of humorous scifi/fantasy. Skeptical believer. Recovering Republican. Small l libertarian. I'm just happy to be here."

I claim he is an arrogant jerk.

So bloggers beware - if you get a review request from an author named Robert Kroese for his new book Shroedinger's Cat - do with it what you will. But if you are hoping he will treat you with the respect due a fellow human being you are sadly out of luck.

Ever wonder what my life is really like?

I had a talk with my good friend Donna - you may know her as Girl Who Reads - recently about this very thing.

If you click here you can learn all about the world I live in. Let me know what you think of it.

What goes great with a Fresh Pot of Tea? Lifeboat!

Hello beautiful readers - My friend Alison DeLuca has kindly shared an excerpt of Lifeboat on her blog Fresh Pot of Tea. There is so much more to this book than aliens and UFOs.

Stop by and have a read, will you? Just click right here.

Book Review: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Book Blurb:
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.
Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.
Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

My review:
Ender's Game is not as old as The Chrysallids, but it is another classic science fiction novel that I hadn't read until - well - now.

I can honestly say that this isn't my typical type of book. It's about a genius little boy who is trained to lead in battle, and much of it is about war or war games. There is bullying. There is a lot of talk of battle strategy. Many of the things that I really don't like to read about.

Oddly, I loved it. I credit that solely to Orson Scott Card. I was sucked into the book from the beginning and stayed up until 4 am reading the first half, only going to sleep when my eyes could no longer focus (for the record I often will read a chapter or two before I go to sleep - I didn't start reading this one until 1:30 am.)

Although he speaks and thinks much older than his wee years, Ender is such a fabulous lead character than you just really want to know what happens to him. Through all of his struggles you cheer him on, willing him not to give up. He's betrayed every time he turns around and still he goes on.

This is just such a great book that I cannot praise it enough without spoiling it for you. It is worthy of the awards and acclaim it has received.


If you haven't read it, read it. If you've read it, please tell me what you think. Do you agree with me?


About the author:
Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools.
Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker (beginning with Seventh Son), poetry (An Open Book), and many plays and scripts.

Card was born in Washington and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he teaches occasional classes and workshops and directs plays. He recently began a longterm position as a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University.

Card currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, and their youngest child, Zina Margaret.

For further details, see the author's Wikipedia page.
For an ordered list of the author's works, see Wikipedia's List of works by Orson Scott Card.

Author vs. Blogger - A Balance of Power

I've been a book blogger for nearly two years now and I've really enjoyed it. I love being asked to read a new novel, even when I sometimes have to decline. On those rare occasions when I'm asked to read something that rocks my universe there is no better feeling. It is out of this world.

As a book blogger, fairly early on I set up a clear and detailed review policy to help me weed out requests from people who wouldn't take the time to work with me in an efficient manner.

Now that I am an author, I'm looking at this from a whole new perspective. I can look at my blogger review policy and say - hey I did something really good here!

See, I'm now looking for bloggers who would be willing to review MY book. The shoe is now on the other foot. I'm finding, that for authors this is not an easy task.

First, you have to find the bloggers. You've exhausted your friends so you resort to lists. You find a list, and you are lucky enough that this list is separated by genre so you think - Great! It will be so easy to find bloggers who want to read my sci-fi/suspense novel. All I have to do is look for the science fiction fans, right?

Wrong.

You may find the bloggers who say they read science fiction, yet when you go to their individual blogs you can encounter some unforeseen problems.

Problems like:
They have no contact information listed.They have no review policy at all.They are so back logged they aren't accepting review requests.If you are lucky enough to find a blogger who does have their contact information listed, who does have a review policy and who IS accepting review requests, it is a rare and beautiful thing.

Yet this does not guarantee they will read or review your book. So you do what you are supposed to do. You read their blog, you follow their policy, and you send a polite and individualized request following their review policy to the letter.

And you wait. And you hope. And you realize how hard it is to be an author begging from the other side of the fence.

I used to think the authors were like gods and I was the privileged worshiper who wanted to bow down before them in gratitude when I received a request for review.

Now I find the bloggers are the gods, and I need to bow down before them and hope they will accept my lowly gift of my book, and in return grant me the gift of a review. The blogger holds all the power. Book review bloggers I bow down before you.

Are you a blogger and an author? Have you found this to be true? If you are one or the other, what do you think of the balance of power?

Armchair BEA: Children's Books and YA

My children are all grown up now and have been for quite some time. I have no grandchildren yet. Reading was not a big part of my life as a child, until I became prepubescent and started reading my mom's books so I don't have a lot of sentimental attachment to books from my childhood.




I do, however, have great sentimental attachment to books I read to my own children in their early years. My daughter had about three favorite books. Two were by Dr. Seuss. As a youngster who struggled to learn to read due to hearing difficulties, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut helped build her confidence. As for the Sleep Book, this bedtime favorite never failed to make ME yawn.
And then there is The Rainbow Fish - a gorgeously illustrated tail of a fish who learns to share with others less fortunate.
Some of my son's favorite books were The Poky Little Puppy, and all of the Berenstain Bears books.

And here is where I admit what a horrible mother I am. When my son was three, around the time my daughter was born he had a very favorite book that he actually memorized the words to. This was the book he demanded nightly at bedtime. How do I know he memorized it? Because one night when I was reading it to him I inadvertently skipped a word - and he corrected me. It was an obscure book and I cannot for the life of me remember too much about it now so many years later, but I do remember there was something pirate-ish about it, because the phrase he corrected me on was "gold pieces". It breaks my heart now that I can't remember anymore
As for YA books I am still a fan of this genre for my own reading. I love The Hunger Games series, and Divergent. I've reviewed those and many others right here on my blog. Take a peek through past posts and you just might find a few to intrigue you.
How about you? Emotional attachments to children's books? Still enjoy YA today?

Armchair BEA - Giveaway and Literature!

Today - just for stopping by you can enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card AND an ebook copy of my novel, Lifeboat! Just enter via the Rafflecopter (click the link).





a Rafflecopter giveaway


The Armchair BEA topic for today is general literary fiction. Many of the books that fit this category are "classics". As I said yesterday in my classic related post, I haven't read many of the classics. I've read a few Jane Austin's, I've read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, and maybe a few others. Obviously I'm missing out on some really great books.

I love books that move me or make me think about things in a way I haven't before. So please tell me, what books have I really missed out on by not reading them. What are the "must" reads of literary fiction. Your favorites.

Late to the game - Joining Armchair BEA! Here's my introduction post.

Port MacDonnell Pier, Southern Ocean
Courtesy Port MacDonnell website

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? 
I'm A.B. Shepherd - Abie will do. I've been blogging for somewhere between a year and half - two years. I got into blogging because of some friends I met on Goodreads. I was joking about wanting to be a professional book reviewer - which I am not. But my friends were bloggers and I decided, why not? 

Blue Lake, Mount Gambier
Courtesy Mount Gambier website
Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures. 
I'm in rural South Australia, near the Southern Ocean. Our little town is noted for it's crater lake which turns an amazing color blue in summer for no known reason.  
Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event? 
I have never before participated in Armchair BEA but am participating this year due to peer pressure! Hahaha. Not really. Some good blogger friends are participating and they have inspired me to join in. Hence my late entry.  What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013? 
I cannot pick favorites very well when it comes to books - there are far too many. I will say a few highlights from this year have been Hugh Howey's Wool series and my good friend Rhiannon Douglas's Running.  

Coast, Southern Ocean
Courtesy Port MacDonnell website

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. 
I'll tell you one thing that most people don't know about me, including some of my real life friends. I am completely deaf in my right ear due to excessive bouts of ear infection as an infant/toddler. 

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? 
That is is a community, as much as any real life community is. The bloggers I have met are the absolute best. They are so supportive and helpful and just truly fabulous people.  

Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years?
This is such a general question, and I'm not sure if you are referring to the blogging community or to the world in general. There is so much I'd like to see change. I'd like to see wars end, the hungry fed, illnesses cured and eradicated, violence abolished, and everyone trying harder to be kind in every interaction every day. 


Please stop by to visit and leave a comment. I'd love to hear what you think. Have YOU done Armchair BEA before?