Another Space in Time

A read packed with energy and pace, like an action thriller film that puts plausibility in second place to high adrenaline entertainment. I had little sympathy for the main character, a hormonally overloaded scum bag who is a thug first and an investigator second. I don't think we are meant to have any. The book is exciting escapism that provides the thrills of the screen or video game while allowing the freedom of imagination allowed by the written word. Grammar fiends will be disturbed, as will those who expect a perfect line edit; but that said, this book does what it sets out to do in a very readable style. If the episodic nature of the violence and sex become predictable that is only because these activities are so true to the appropriately drawn set of characters. The script is definitely tongue-in-cheek, never even nodding to plausibility, and very amusing at times. The whole plot is outrageously ridiculous, which I'm sure is exactly as was intended. This is a good qui...

First off- this is a five star book that sits somewhere in the ground between murder mystery and paranormal genres. I don't think it quite manages the bridge, though I'm sure that plenty of readers will disagree. The book is clearly marketed as paranormal mystery, so it isn't like anyone should be surprised by the ground covered. However, the book starts a long way from paranormal, in a sort of commercial backstreet of hazy time passed town. Then suddenly, we are in a world of crazies, where the strongest characters are all walking dead or missing. My view is that Broadwell would have done better by plotting the book firmly on one side or the other of the murder mystery-paranormal trench. Perhaps my view is fatuous, based too much on taste, so enough of that. As to the quality and the style of the writing, they are both top-drawer, as they always are with Nikki Broadwell's books. This plot starts with a whimsical backwater charm, in which the 'witchcraft' is...

I don't often say this, but this is a novel has a plot with real originality, although that is obviously only based on my own mix of 'have read'. Yes, even with the millions of English language books pouring out of a million authors liberated from the stranglehold of the old literary mafia, I feel that Dahl has delivered some brand new plot details. She delivers a fresh feeling story backed by an interestingly individualistic and totally weird look at the psychology of survival and its darkest reflections. This is a well written first person narrative that manages to take science fiction video game scenarios on-board and make them momentarily believable. For me, Dahl actually manages the art of suspending plausibility. I was particularly drawn in by her alien environment, which was painted with such broad and yet convincing brush strokes. The last chapters perhaps lost its way a little as the main characters 'died' a little too often, but the hanging pu...

In many ways this is a classic Western. To this is often very masculine genre is added the touch of a female writer. We also have the post-modern twist of the female character that is more able than most men, but here the 'superbeing' augmentations of so much of this trend have been avoided. The central character is indeed a young woman who is more capable than most men, but this is all based on realistic physical abilities, learned skills traditionally considered 'masculine', and a huge amount of female intuition and guile. A believable heroine matched by an equally plausible and well thought out cast, set in an accurately drawn historical setting on the Oregon Trail of the early 19th Century, makes for a very good read. The book is a feel good story, High Chaparral sort of stuff, in which the good guys eventually win. All the characters are clearly labelled, reminding me of the 1940s/50s movies in which the good guys always had light coloured Stetson hats, an...

      I haven't read Thane, the first in the sure to at least be trilogy, so I can confidently report that King's Table works very well as a standalone. This is fantasy fare that exists in some timeless parallel space between the invention of advanced metallic crafts and the end of the tyranny of kings, in a sort of fantasy "middle-ages". I believe it is reasonable to put this book in a "Game of Thrones" category genre, if that makes any sense to those familiar with Bow's writing as everyone apart from me sees to be familiar with George Martin's. This book is definitely suitable to all those competent enough and or likely to read it, in other words without containing passages of Games of Thrones 'adult fantasy'.      Bow is a more than competent writer with the skills to see through an interesting and complex plot. The two more than often go unmatched. My only criticism is that some of the timelines between different threads of the story w...

        Here we have an interesting montage of short stories, which actually are 'just the ticket' to set the dreams rolling as one lays down one's head. Well, a couple of the stories may cause nightmares, but at least one won't be worrying about the unfilled tax return, or how about how to get to work and the kids to school. We are all different, so do bear in mind that horror does creep from the page to the dark.         I really enjoyed the way the words are put together as much as the stories themselves. Johnson writes very easy prose. The writing often has the grace and effortless flow of swans on water, with the sometimes surprising and unsettling flurries of that species. Swans have their warning hiss, and sudden explosions of power.      As the cover says, there is certainly mystery and fantasy in these stories, though perhaps suspense is rather over egging the content. These are short stories, some of which have strong...

     From page one we are drawn into the strange psychologically disturbed world of Jonathan, a man deeply in love with his wife. Despite this it appeared for a hanging period of time that he was even going to fail to say his marriage vows. Maria adores Jonathan. She has to as he is seems to be avoiding close moments. She has had her problems as well, being helped by the therapist who subsequently struggles to help Jonathan. Would you know it, the Doctor has her own bag of problems. A lot of ghost need exorcism and one character is possibly beyond all help in this present life.      This is a really well written psychological thriller with deeply drawn and convincing main characters. I read the book in a day, which for me a slow pedantic reader, is most unusual. This alone well demonstrates the books quality, shortish though it is. The overriding message in the book for me, not that Davis really tries to build one, is that the flaws we see demonstrated ...