Michael Patrick Hicks's Blog, page 56

Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge – Six Month Check-Up

Yesterday, I hit my goal of 50 books for the year in the Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge. I’m fairly certain this is the fastest I’ve ever hit my challenge goal. In 2014, I set out to read 45 books and hit that mark by the end of August. I suspect I’ve read a lot more smaller novels and novellas this year, but will hold off on doing a closer breakdown until later in the year.

With a baby on the way though, I suspect my future reading habits will change significantly in the coming months. So, rather than change my annual benchmark and up the challenge, I’m leaving well enough alone (as I usually do with these reading challenges). I doubt I’ll hit the personal high of 86 books as I did last year, but that’s perfectly fine with me. Anything past the 50-book count is just gravy at this point, and there’s still plenty of works I’m planning on consuming in the back-half of this year.

The stats thus far are 11,658 pages read, with the longest book so far being Ramez Naam’s Apex, at 608 pages, which I read in the latter half of May. As usual, I’ll do a more thorough breakdown of the challenge at the end of the year as I did for 2014 and 2013.

There has definitely been an increased focus on reading the works of fellow indies and small press titles this year, and several have really stuck with me.

The recently released zombie anthology, The Z Chronicles, was a top-notch effort with a number of stand-out short stories and a terrific platform to get introduced to some new-to-me authors. My buddies Lucas Bale and Nicholas Sansbury Smith continue to knock it out of the park with their ongoing series. Chuck Wendig’s Atlanta Burns was a very strong opening salvo to a new heroine that I hope to be reading more about in 2016. And Ania Ahlborn continues her ascent in my list of authors to watch. She’s just got a great authorial voice and is a very effective horror author. This year marked her first release with Simon & Schuster and there’s a few more titles coming down the pike in the next few months including a digital novella, The Pretty Ones, and a second novel, Brother. Both sound superb and I’m looking forward to snagging copies of each as quickly as I can.

How’s your 2015 Reading Challenge shaping up at this half-way mark?

Review: Extinction Age (The Extinction Cycle Book 3) by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

About Extinction Age

Book III in Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s #1 bestselling and top-rated Extinction Cycle Series continues the fight for survival!
___________________________
 

On the eve of extinction all seems to be lost, but there is still one final hope…

Operation Liberty has failed. Humans are losing the war. With no other option, General Kennor decides to pull back the troops and give science a second chance.

Trapped in the extensive sewer system beneath New York, Master Sergeant Reed Beckham and the survivors of 1st Platoon must battle through the tunnels–where they make a grisly discovery in their attempt to escape.

At Plum Island, Dr. Kate Lovato is working on a new bioweapon to destroy the Variants. But when a derelict Navy Destroyer crashes into the Connecticut shoreline, she is forced to deal with a nightmare she thought had ended.

As the doomsday clock ticks down and military bases fall across the country, the human race enters the age of extinction. Will science prevail–or will mankind vanish off the face of the planet?

About the Author



Nicholas Sansbury Smith is the author of several post-apocalyptic books and short stories. He worked for the State of Iowa for nearly 10 years before switching careers to focus on his one true passion–writing. When he isn’t daydreaming about the apocalypse he’s likely racing in triathlons around the Midwest. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa with his family and several rescued animals.

If you’d like to hear more about Nick’s books, you can join his spam free mailing list here: http://bit.ly/NicholasSansburySmith.

Or visit Nick at: http://nicholassansbury.com.

My Thoughts

[Note: I received a copy of this title from the author in exchange for an honest review.]

Over the course of his Orbs and Extinction Cycle series, Nicholas Sansbury Smith has risen to the top of my go-to list for rocking sci-fi/horror military thrillers. With Extinction Age, the third in this series, he is at the height of his game.

If you’ve enjoyed the previous two books, you’ll be welcoming this latest with eyes glued to the page. Ghost Team is back, along with Dr. Kate Lovato, whose deepening relationship with Ghost leader, Reed Beckham, has her fully recommitted to developing a weapon to destroy the Variants.

Mankind is plunging further toward extinction thanks to the Variant threat, but even worse are the human enemies embedded in the upper echelons the military’s hierarchy. Their incompetence and duplicity have led to several bad decisions over the course of this series, as these men are revealed to be less interested in saving the world than in covering their own rears. As such, they’re a great force to root against and you’re constantly waiting and hoping for them to get their comeuppance.

The finale is also one of the strongest and most satisfying in the series thus far, mixing fist-pumping cheers with an excruciating denouement that left me screaming at my Kindle.

Extinction Age is brimming with action and terrific set pieces that include a derelict aircraft carrier and the underground tunnels of a secret FEMA installation, along with a few new characters to root for and villains to despise. The supporting cast each get a chance to shine, as well, particularly Dr. Ellis, as well as wounded warrior Fitz, who seems to be building toward a more central role in the series.

Smith does an excellent job balancing the bleak nature of this particular post-apocalyptic narrative with a sense of hope and optimism, despite how dark things get. If you’ve been following this series thus far, then Book 3 is certainly one to buy. If you haven’t, then hustle over to the Extinction Horizon page and start from the beginning ASAP.
Buy Extinction Age At Amazon

CONSUMPTION Is A Kindle Countdown Deal – Only 99c!

Quick heads-up for your Tuesday morning, folks – my short horror story, Consumption, is currently on sale for only 99c for the next few days. Did I mention it’s also a 2015 Independent eBook Awards nominee for Best Short Story and Best Horror?

If you’ve been debating checking this one out over its usual $2.99 price-tag, now’s the time act and go buy yourself a copy (and maybe gift one for a friend, too!).

Here’s the skinny on this Lovecraftian Food TV story:

You Are

Reclusive chef Heinrich Schauer has invited six guests to a blind twelve-course tasting menu.

What You Eat

While snow blankets the isolated Swiss valley surrounding his estate, the guests feast eagerly, challenging one another to guess at the secret tastes plated before them.

This Meat Is Murder

As they eat, each guest is overtaken by carnal appetites, unaware of their host’s savage plans…or of the creature lurking below.

One thing is clear: There is more on the menu than any of them have bargained for.

Consumption is a 12,000 word (approx.) short story. It contains graphic depictions of sex and violence, and is intended for mature audiences.

Review: The Z Chronicles – An Anthology of Speculative Fiction

About The Z Chronicles

Z. Among the most monstrous creations of our imaginations, the zombie terrifies, with its capacity to pursue its prey, to run it down, exhaust it to surrender, unrelentingly.

In this title in the acclaimed Future Chronicles series of speculative fiction anthologies, fourteen authors confront the nightmare, that horrific mirror of ourselves that pursues us with untiring hunger.

The Z Chronicles features stories by bestselling authors Hugh Howey (Wool), Jennifer Foehner Wells (Fluency), plus twelve more of today’s top authors in speculative and science fiction.

My Thoughts

[Note: I received an advanced copy of this title for review.]

The Z Chronicles is the latest in Samuel Peralta’s ever-growing series of The Future Chronicles anthologies. While I’ve only read a couple of the previous collections, this zombie-themed antho is far and away my favorite of the bunch and represents one the strongest over-all anthologies that I’ve ever read.

There is a mighty fine assemblage of authors here, and a number of superb stories that, on their own, more than make the price of entry completely worthwhile. And, as with any good anthology, this has given me a nice starting point to delve deeper into the works of authors that are new to me. In fact, after reading several of the stories included here, I immediately hopped onto Amazon and bought a couple titles from writers like Ann Christy and Deirdre Gould. Following here, then, are a few thoughts on my favorites – consider this a LIGHT SPOILER WARNING and feel free to skip down to the bottom if you want to be completely blind going in.

Christy’s story, VINDICA, kicks of The Z Chronicles in grand style with a story of insurrection in an underground habitat built for the rich. It’s a strong stand-along story, but also provides a great taste of the author’s Between series.

KAMIKA-Z by Christopher Boore, and Will Swardstron’s Z BALL are also very strong efforts, with the former featuring cyborg zombies unleashed upon the US during a war with China. This one is told across three viewpoints of a single family struggling to survive. It’s dark, but the characters are richly developed and their own unique voices are allowed to shine across each chapter. My only complaint is that I really wanted to see more of these cyborg zombie things! It’s such a cool concept, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Boore expands on it in a larger work soon.

Z BALL casts the zombie uprising through the bright lights of American sports. This one is a wonderful outside-of-the-box approach to the zombie apocalypse and the way society responds and adapts to changing circumstances. And, just for good measure, it’s all wrapped up in a nice shell of conspiracy and paranoia.

Hugh Howey and David Adams play around a bit in Howey’s own I, Zombie world. GLORIA is a story of a woman coming to grips with her own zombiefication, while Adams presents a similar story of a transgender individual who has been zombified. Both of these showcase a great bit of internal character development as they grapple with their post-death existence that finds their healthy mental states locked inside bodies they can no longer control thanks to the ravages of the plague.

Peter Cawdron’s FREE FALL is another excellent piece that begins with a bit of a sci-fi bent as an astronaut returns to a decimated Earth. The opening bit of this story is a terrific slow-burn as the spaceman attempts to establish contact with Houston Ground Control only to slowly realize things are not quite right. It slowly morphs into a more traditional zombie-survival story, one that is really well done. Fans of the comics Y: The Last Man and The Walking Dead should find quite a lot to appreciate here.

CURING KHANG YEO finished off the anthology with a stunningly rich character piece that finds the title character cured after several years as a zombie. Reclaimed by a very different world than the one he left, Yeo discovers that there are worse things than being a zombie – namely, living with yourself in the wake of all that you’ve done and those you’ve killed. His sense of guilt is supremely palpable, with the struggle between his own desires and the wishes of his medical saviors (if you can really call them that) is effectively striking. Author Deirdre Gould scores a huge, huge win with this story and I loved it so much that I immediately grabbed a copy of the first installment in her After The Cure series. While YEO is set in that same series, it is certainly effective as a stand-alone, but I suspect readers discovering Gould for the first time will find it difficult to ignore her novel-length works after reading this one. I, for one, absolutely need to know more about the world she’s constructed and the psychological and societal aftermath of this cure.

As with any anthology, there were a couple stories that didn’t strike a strong chord with me, but those that did, particularly those outlined above, were just incredibly top-notch efforts. Overall, this is a wickedly strong anthology and zombie fans should be devouring this one ASAP. If you’re going through withdrawal’s of AMC’s The Walking Dead, or looking for something to fill the gap left by Jonathan Maberry’s ROT & RUIN series, this fix is now in. Highly recommended!

Buy The Z Chronicles At Amazon

Social Justice Warrior Pride And Why We Fight

Forgive me, but the following post may be a bit on the rambling side as I unpack some of the cognitive perturbation that kicked off my weekend.

Friday evening, just as we were closing shop, I got into a conversation with a fellow co-worker, who ended up dragging in a third-party with a penchant for the…well, let’s just say obscene for now. What followed was about twenty minutes of after-hours conversation, and some of the most ignorant, depraved, and bigoted nonsense I’d ever directly heard in my life. I’m usually lucky enough to have this kind of toxic hate speech kept at arms length and encountered only by news purveyors recounting the latest indignities of Fox & Friends or Glenn Beck types. What third-party guy had to say, though, might put even those folks to shame with the kind of stuff that makes you wonder what happened to this person to make them so freaking scarred and awful. The kind of conversation that makes you glad that, at least even on your worst, most cynical day, you’re still not that bad.

I cannot transcribe the full conversation, nor how we even got onto the subject, but somehow the third-party guy made it all about his slash-and-burn rhetoric against “the gays” and their “agenda.” This followed on the foot heels of Thursday’s news that, here in Michigan, our Republican governor signed the RFRA For Adoption bill, which allows adoptions agencies to discriminate against would-be parents on the basis of religious beliefs and to deny same-sex couples trying to adopt. To say that this third-party was in favor of this action would be putting it mildly.

He hates that gay people can parade around openly in society and that he has to watch them kiss or hold hands. He argues that gays should absolutely not be allowed to adopt, because they’ll brainwash children into being gay or molest them, and that homosexuality is a choice, despite pretty much all research on genetic and epigenetic factors that influence sexuality. I made the mistake of asking him why this is different than allowing African-Americans to adopt, another segment of our society that is often marginalized and discriminated against.

More often that not, when this question is posed you get a lot of side-stepping and equivocating and protestations that “it’s just not the same!” Even though it totally is the same because bigotry is bigotry, plain and simple. So, I was a bit taken aback when the third-party’s hatred of blacks let spew, and how abolishing slavery was a mistake, how he wishes his ancestors had been wealthy enough to have slaves, and how “they all” are nothing but savages. Blacks and Africa led to AIDs, he said, which then led to the homosexual community deliberately poisoning the blood supplies in the US with AIDs so that straight people would get infected and, thus, forced to give a shit about this disease. His argument was not only revolting, but amazingly complex in terms of sheer lunacy and fringe conspiracy, as if there’s some kind of gay Illuminati plotting a hostile world-takeover. He argued, though, that the only time he’d be compelled to give a shit about gay people is if there were a bounty on their heads so he could hunt them down.

I’ve been in a bit of a daze following all of this. As I said before, I’ve never come face to face with somebody so noxious and poisoned that they should probably have “hazardous waste” tattooed around their mouth. I knew he had some outlandish ideas and odd political stances (he’s an evolution-denier and a 9/11 Truther, but thankfully neither topics come up this time around), but to inadvertently get lost in such a swamp of toxicity was overwhelming.

I needed to try and reclaim some measure of sanity, and this third-party was a solid reminder of why social justice and education is so damn important. So, I’m chipping in to Jennifer Foehner Wells (@Jenthulhu on Twitter) campaign to raise money to benefit Books For Africa. After this third-party guy ranted on and on about how atrocious the birthplace of humanity was and is, Jennifer’s campaign seems like as good a way as any to mentally recover and do something good for those less fortunate than me.

As Jennifer writes on her blog, this t-shirt, designed by Sandra G. (@peppermintesse on Twitter),

really conveys the sentiment that people who care about equal representation in fiction for all:

genders/gender identities/races/ethnicities/shapes/sizes

–human or alien–

are not villains but superheroes!

I spent hours researching charities that benefit children and emphasize books and literacy. The one I chose not only perfectly ticks off every box, but serves at the highest level. You can rest assured that Charity Navigator, the top vetting site for charities, gives this organization 5-stars on all levels, including financial transparency. 99.1% of this charity’s total expenses are spent on the programs and services it delivers.

The words “social justice” are used, in some circles, rather disparagingly, particularly in terms of media that strives to be inclusive and representative of the world we live in. In fact, social justice is something that we should not only strive for, but demand. Social justice is what ended slavery, it’s what gave women the right to vote and to have autonomy over their own bodies and medical decisions. As with any progressive movement, there are vocal, and oftentimes nasty, detractors. People like this third-party guy was a rude reminder of exactly why social justice is necessary, particularly in terms of combating and winning against sheer ignorance.

Trying to insult someone by calling them a Social Justice Warrior is like getting in their face and yelling, "You're a decent human being!"

— Joseph Scrimshaw (@JosephScrimshaw) October 4, 2014

Here’s the thing – I’m a firm believer that education is the best way to destroy ignorance. Books are key to this. Knowledge is power, not fear-mongering and blind hate, and we cannot give in to those toxic, sad, rabid members of our society who would seek to destroy and usurp progress all in the name of petty bigotry.

I try every day to be a good person, to my family, to my society, to this one-and-only world that we live in. I hope that whatever I leave behind on Earth when my days are done, that it is at least a little bit more positive than when I came into it. If I can help an animal in need, if I can help, somehow, for children in our pathetic and overly-swamped adoption agencies make their way into a loving family — regardless of gender or orientation — or to simply raise my soon-to-arrive child well and instill her or him with values and moral fortitude to carry on improving things, then at least I can die well.

Books are how we progress and communicate and disseminate information. It’s not the only way, but it is still instrumental. This is where we record our history, and it’s a part of the human legacy. They should speak about us, and the human condition — all humans, not just a few, and not only the minorities among us, but all of us. They are vital, and they must spread. They must make their way into the hands of those less fortunate. Books are one of the first places that education begins, and educating the world — not just America, but the entire global society — is of supreme importance, particularly in those impoverished nations. Third-party guy may not give a shit about them, but we ignore them at our own detriment.

Remember this old aphorism: A rising tide lifts all boats.

And since I can hear some of you bemoaning about giving money to a project that supports books for Africa when we have problems here at home, problems like the RFRA acts and discrimination against LGBTQ communities at the hands of our very own government, I’ll also be giving money to Freedom From Religion Foundation in an effort to help combat the incursion of religion into American politics, which I see as the epicenter to many of these problems and uphold the constitutional separation of church and state.

It should be noted, too, that American-branded, religiously-fueled hate isn’t merely an issue confined to the borders of the US, but has also become a large export into Africa by figures such as Scott Lively, who helped engineer Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill, so all the more reason to send books to those desiring education and agency of their own. In light of the growing anti-gay legislation in Africa, the Ugandan Academy of Science was a part of a panel formed by the Academy of Science South Africa to study the research compiled on same-sex orientation, resulting in the release of a report on the heritable nature of sexual orientation. More on this at IFLS, and well worth the read.

Hopefully I’ve helped somebody today. And hopefully you can, too. Charity is good for you. But it can also be a hell of a lot better for others.

Adventures In TBR: New Books!

Earlier this week, I got a couple Amazon gift cards for my birthday, so naturally I stocked up on several titles I’ve had in my wish list for a while. I’ve also become rather inundated with ARCs (advanced review copies) for releases dropping soon.

Here’s a look at what I’ve got on the horizon for reading and reviewing (not in this order, mind you):

I’m currently reading The Z Chronicles and am enjoying it quite a bit. I’m almost half-way through, but as with Samuel Peralta’s other anthologies, it’s a very strong collection. Up next will be Extinction Age!

As far as what I bought with those swanky Amazon gift cards? Mostly a lot of horror (and one sci-fi title, and one non-fiction work from the always-golden Warren Ellis).

       

The good news is, these books are all digital so I do not risk imminent death beneath a collapsing tower of piled-up, unread novels (at least as far as these particular titles are concerned).

Now all I need is more time…

Review: The Pearl Diver (Seven Worlds Saga Book 1) by S. Elliot Brandis

About The Pearl Diver

I’m Elsie, from the planet Caelum.

It’s 96% ocean, but that’s okay. Out of all six planets (or seven, if you believe the myths), we’re the only people with gills. I can breathe underwater for minutes at a time, discovering the secrets of the deep-sea. Diving is my first love.

But not everybody understands.

Each year they run a competition—a single black pearl is dropped into the ocean, and graduating students dive to find it. It sounds easy, but it’s not. The ocean is a dark and dangerous place, with caves, crevices, and flesh-eating creatures. Some years, not everybody survives.

It’s how my brother died.

My parents won’t let me compete. At times it seems like the whole island is against me. I don’t care. I will enroll, win, and gain the ultimate prize—a job diving on the head planet of the entire system. I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll fight for a better life, out there in the stars.

I will be the Pearl Diver.

Or die trying.

About the Author

S. ElliotBrandis is an engineer and author from Brisbane, Australia. He writes post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, often infused with a variety of outside elements. He is a lover of beer, baseball, and science fiction.His novels are about outlaws, outcasts, and outsiders.

To find out more visit:

Web: http://selliotbrandis.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/selliotbrandis

Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/PsmMv

email: s.elliot.brandis@gmail.com

My Thoughts

S. ElliotBrandis’s opening volley in his latest series, Seven Worlds Saga, offers up a promising start to what could very well become a high-water mark in the author’s oeuvre.Elsie dreams of becoming the winning pearl diver in the annual competition that will score her a one-way ticket off her planet and to the central world of Dunamis. In the wake of her brother’s death in a prior tournament, her parents viciously oppose her, forcing her to rebel.

I won’t say much more in regards to the plot, but to say Elsie gets more than she bargains for is putting it mildly.

Brandis delivers the goods when it comes to Young Adult dystopian fiction: there is a well-defined and atrocious threat, impossible odds, and a very strong, determined, and capable heroine. Elsie is just a terrific character and honestly written. It’s utterly impossible not to root for her, and, frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear her name-dropped alongside Katniss Everdeen some day soon.

After having spent the last few days fully submerged in the world of The Pearl Diver, I’m now left eagerly waiting for the next installment in this series. Do yourself a favor and buy a copy of this book ASAP.

 Buy The Pearl Diver At Amazon

Review: A Shroud of Night and Tears (Beyond The Wall, Book 3) by Lucas Bale

About A Shroud of Night and Tears

If war shapes the universe, truth destroys it.

A criminal becomes a leader, hiding a tiny colony of survivors from the savagery of twisted men.

A smuggler harbours refugees from a brutal attack on their defenceless village.

A young boy, wracked by loss, now seeks revenge.

A servant of the Magistratus, a lawman who once believed in justice, searches for the truth behind the planet his masters will kill to hide.

A stim-addicted navigator, haunted by her past, wants answers. Why she was chosen to ride with a salvage crew destined to die in a remote, nameless part of space.

And a spy is blackmailed into informing against those he serves. What he knows could bring about the end of the Republic.

All will be drawn together by hidden forces, and their lives shattered by cataclysmic events they can neither predict… nor escape.

About the Author

Lucas Bale writes the sort of intense, gripping science-fiction thrillers which make you miss your train. Stories which dig into what makes us human and scrape at the darkness which hides inside every one of us. His bestselling debut novel, THE HERETIC, is the gateway to the award-winning BEYOND THE WALL series, an epic hard science-fiction space opera about the future of humanity and the discovery of the truth of its past. He wasn’t always a writer. He was a criminal lawyer for fifteen years before he discovered crime doesn’t pay and turned to something which actually pays even less. No one ever said he was smart, but at least he’s happy. He blushes when people mention him in the same sentence as Iain M. Banks or George R. R. Martin, bless him.

website: http://www.lucasbale.com/

My Thoughts

[Note: I received a copy of this book from the author for review. I have also collaborated with Lucas Bale on the anthology, No Way Home.]

One of the great joys in discovering a fresh, new voice early on in their career is being able to watch and read how they have developed as an author over time. When I met Lucas Bale a year ago on KBoards and became familiar with his work via The Heretic, his first release, I was impressed with the crisp writing and clear authorial voice, as well as an engaging story that held so much promise for future works. I was eager to see where he would go, and I absolutely loved his second book, Defiance. And I’m not saying all this because I consider Lucas a friend, nor because we’ve worked together in the past and will again in the near-future. I’m approaching these works as a reader, first and foremost, as well as, now, a fan.

As such, I hope it is with a measure of trust between us, dear reader, when I say that A Shroud of Night and Tears is by far his most accomplished work. In fact, I feel somewhat urged to not give this book five stars, simply because Bale gets better and better with each work. I could rightly give this title four starts knowing full-well that, in all due likelihood, his next book will top this. If I keep giving him five stars, where the hell does he go from there? This is likely a problem many of his fans face, as well, so perhaps there is some commiseration to be had. Still, I’m giving it those coveted 5-stars because it’s easily one of the best sci-fi titles I’ve read this year, and one of the strongest space opera books I’ve read in ages. It is, in short, phenomenal!

Those readers that were disappointed by the sudden change in characters in Defiance and the brief pause to tell a new story with the lawman, Weaver, and his prey, Natasha, will be heartened to know that Shepherd, Jordi, and the preacher from The Heretic all make their return here, in addition to those fresh, new faces introduced in the previous book.

A Shroud of Night and Tears provides an awesome landscape in which to unite these disparate figures, pitting them together in a scenario that remarkably shifts the series’ overarching threat into something far grander than I had initially expected at the outset of Beyond The Wall. I know this sounds vague, but I’m trying to avoid spoilers, because there is such a huge plot development in this penultimate work that twists everything I thought I knew about what was happening into something very, very different.

In addition to elevating this developing story to a higher plane, Bale also manages to up the ante on a personal level, as well. There are threats galore, and back-stabbings aplenty, in addition to attempted murder by backpack bombs, and a few other surprises that I shall not spoil. Let’s just say that uniting all these various personalities from the prior two books under the umbrella of a larger, looming nightmare does not make everything all hunky-dory. These are characters with conflicting personalities and personal agendas of their own, which provides a strong, tense backdrop to the proceedings. I really liked the espionage-like tone that Weaver’s mission took on in the book’s latter half, giving it a sort of Mission: Impossible vibe that I truly dug.

So, there’s one more book to go in this Beyond The Wall series, and I fully expect it to be wrought with peril and adventure. How Bale will tie everything up is the big question, and I can only hope there isn’t too long of a wait.

Buy A Shroud of Night And Tears At Amazon

Hell’s Bells, People…

Yesterday, this little nugget of news came across my radar:

ONE MILLION MOMS Launch Petition To Stop FOX's LUCIFER https://t.co/L83ZSDjYhh pic.twitter.com/E3AyFUnC6E

— Newsarama (@Newsarama) May 28, 2015

This is one of the dumbest things I’ve heard of lately, aside from Rick Santorum running for president again, and my gut reaction is that pretty much anything fundamentalist Christian conservative lobby groups such as this and the American Family Association that oversees the no-doubt inflated figure of One Million Moms are against, I’m for. Like, you know, human equality, or, I dunno, cakes for anyone willing to buy them from people who make cakes for a living, but whatever…

As Comic Book Resources reports:

The petition describes the show as “a new series which will glorify Satan as a caring, likable person in human flesh.”

“The series will focus on Lucifer portrayed as a good guy, ‘who is bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell,'” it continues. “He resigns his throne, abandons his kingdom and retires to Los Angeles, where he gets his kicks helping the LAPD punish criminals.”

Well, Heaven forbid… Conversely, can you imagine the outrage of these twelve angry moms if their biblical god were ever depicted accurately on screen? I can’t help but note that The History Channel’s adaptation of The Bible, by all accounts, seemed oddly free of genocide, rape, slavery, bigamy, incest, and anything even remotely challenging or provocative. But, I suppose it made Joel Osteen smile and likely bought him another mansion for all of his consultancy work.

By the way, if you’re interested in some solid figures and a fun look at who’s the bigger dickbag in the Bible, might I recommend Steve Well’s Drunk With Blood – God’s Killings In The Bible for some light reading?

Needless to say, as I did with the release of the nonsensical Clean Reader app, I have some thoughts on this ill-conceived and derisive attempt at religiously-motivated censorship pandering. As Newsarama notes, this same group has a history of trying to bend entertainment media across their knee, and in 2012 lobbied against both Marvel and DC Comics for their inclusiveness of gay characters in their comic books.

So, as I’m wont to do in times such as these, I had a brief twitter rant, shown below.

The fundies have their knickers in a twist. May need to watch this show now. https://t.co/KICDq0RDVr

— Michael Hicks (@MikeH5856) May 28, 2015

Typically, when conservative watchdog groups bitch and moan about a TV show, it's worth watching at least once. #Lucifer

— Michael Hicks (@MikeH5856) May 28, 2015

I'm also pretty sure @FOXTV is incredibly excited for the faux outrage of these 100 crazy moms group. #lucifer

— Michael Hicks (@MikeH5856) May 28, 2015

You might be a fundie if you whine about how a fictional character in a book you've never read is portrayed on a TV show you haven't seen.

— Michael Hicks (@MikeH5856) May 28, 2015

Because of all the free advertising 2 Mad Moms has brought #Lucifer, @FOXTV is giving the show three extra episodes before canceling it.

— Michael Hicks (@MikeH5856) May 29, 2015

Now, from what I can understand, the Fox TV adaptation of Lucifer strays a good deal far away from the comic book source material. And perhaps much to the shock of the pitchfork, fire, and brimstone crowd, this is a fictional television drama based on a fictional comic book. But, even if it weren’t, that wouldn’t change the fact that at the core of it all is a fictional character that exists only in literature and other entertainment and media-based venues.

Lucifer is not real. Demons are not real. Supernatural is not a documentary, and, sad to say, End of Days was not just another day in the life and times of Arnold Schwarzenegger. In point of fact, the TV series Lucifer is every bit as valid an interpretation of the iconic, and public domain, character of Lucifer as the Bible, Dante’s Inferno, or Milton’s Paradise Lost.

In fact, as near as I can tell, this petition is not really about Lucifer at all. It’s more about the difficulties of being a parent and opting to shrug off any bit of responsibility for raising sensible children in favor of demanding society bow to your will instead.

Apparently, diligently attempting to court controversy is much simpler than, oh, say, changing the god damn channel on your TV and monitoring the viewing habits of your own child. Then again, I’ve never understood this mentality of “I don’t like it, so the whole world needs to change for me” that is at the core of this pathetic drama. And also, I just really hate it when Bible-thumpers think they can tell me, or anyone else, what I can or cannot do based on their beliefs instead of what I find suitable for myself. It’s like they never heard of free will or something…

People are free to watch or not, but the fate of this series, along with any other creative endeavor, should be determined by the audience and the work’s own merits, rather than a group of bigmouths casting blind aspersions because they prefer to be fear-mongers instead of informed adults and active, engaged parents.

Review: Apex (Nexus Arc Book 3) by Ramez Naam

About Apex

The Explosive Conclusion to Nexus and Crux

Global unrest spreads through the US, China, and beyond. Secrets and lies set off shockwaves of anger, rippling from mind to mind. Riot police battle neurally-linked protesters. Armies are mobilized. Political orders fall. Nexus-driven revolution is here.

Against this backdrop, a new breed of post-human children are growing into their powers. And a once-dead scientist, driven mad by her torture, is closing in on her plans to seize planet’s electronic systems, and re-forge everything in her image.

A new Apex species is here. The world will never be the same.

About the Author

Ramez Naam was born in Cairo, Egypt, and came to the US at the age of 3. He’s a computer scientist who spent 13 years at Microsoft, leading teams working on email, web browsing, search, and artificial intelligence. He holds almost 20 patents in those areas.

Ramez is the winner of the 2005 H.G. Wells Award for his non-fiction book More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement. He’s worked as a life guard, has climbed mountains, backpacked through remote corners of China, and ridden his bicycle down hundreds of miles of the Vietnam coast. He lives in Seattle, where he writes and speaks full time.

My Thoughts

[Note: I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.]

I was instantly captivated by Ramez Naam’s sci-fi debut, Nexus, and have loved reading how his characters and this near-future Earth have responded to the burgeoning transhuman movement. With Apex, Naam picks up the story threads left at the end of book two, Crux, and delivers a highly satisfying conclusion to his series.

Apex is a large book, in both page count and scope. The advanced brain enhancement technology of the NexusOS has been causing a political stir for quite sometime, and it all comes to a head here. There are political coups, conspiracies, terrorism, riots, the rise of AI, and the threat of nuclear warfare.

This is a dense novel, with multiple subplots revolving around the birth of the PLF, a pro-transhumanist terror group, technological heists between China and India stemming from the viral load of the once-human Su-Yong, and disputes over the US presidential election, and so many other moving pieces intersecting these various subplots that the book feels much longer than it really is.

And that, really, is my only gripe. While Amazon lists the page count of this book at 608 pages, it feels twice as long and makes for a bit of a ponderous read. There is just so much happening, and so many characters involved, that it’s hard not to feel the weight and pressure of the story. I recall the prior two books being rather briskly paced and energetic, whereas this one is more of a massive pot-boiler. While it took me some time to get through, it was certainly well worth it. There’s also the issue of information delivery, with segments of the story being told in large chunks and then abandoned for a long while to focus on other issues, before circling back to pick up the threads on something else.

All that said, I did find Apex to being a strong finish to the story with the characters meeting their natural conclusions and, in some cases, a few surprises along the way. I do wish more would have been done to make Sam less one dimensional here, as she’s been a strong character previously with a very interesting background and journey throughout. It’s a bit of a shame to have her reduced here to a simple worrywart, mother figure with little else to do. I was happy to see Ranjan Shankari with a more integral role this time around, though, and Kade’s steps toward becoming a leader was very well done.

Naam is due tremendous applause for keeping all the gears turning in this massive tome. As I said, there is an awful lot happening here, with a lot of spinning plates to keep an eye, but the author does a fabulous job of tying up the various thread and delivering an energetic and compulsively readable finale to not only Apex, but to the series as a whole.

If you’ve been following the Nexus series thus far, then grabbing a copy of Apex is a no-brainer and it brings the series to a close with a rollicking finish replete with serious tension and action. If you haven’t been, then I highly recommend you start at the beginning, where you’ll likely find yourself becoming a fan in no time.

Buy Apex At Amazon