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Book Review: Gideon by Alex Gordon

Gideon by Alex Gordon
Harper Voyager, 2015
Available: Trade paperback, Kindle edition
ISBN-13: 978-0061687372

Gideon is a supernatural thriller that roots itself in the Midwest. When Lauren Reardon’s father dies, she discovers that something dark is hidden in his past: and his past connects her to the small town of Gideon, Illinois. Gideon is a secretive, isolated town, with a history that involves terrible secrets, witchcraft, and murder.

Gordon is a talented writer and did a nice job of creating a creepy atmosphere. The problem with the novel is its structure. The book gets off to a slow start, with the first seven chapters devoted to creating a historical backdrop (part one is set in 1836, and part two is set in 1841) for the events of the novel. That is a lot of story before we even meet Lauren. Gordon clearly did a lot of research in the process of writing the book, as the period feels accurate in its details, but I felt that connecting to Lauren as a character was more difficult, since she wasn’t introduced earlier in the text.

Once Lauren’s part of the story gets moving, the novel gets more interesting, but due to the slow pacing, her best writing happened too far into the text to really hook me. Gordon shows obvious passion on each page of her book, though, and the concept she uses is original enough that I think this book will hook other readers, and should get a chance in libraries.

Reviewed by David Agranoff

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Kirsten, Reply

Book Review: Absalom’s Wake, Part Six: The Eye of Tangarora by Nancy A. Collins

Absalom’s Wake, Part Six: The Eye Of Tangaroa by Nancy A. Collins

Biting Dog Publications, 2014

ASIN: B00I3L72UE

Available: eBook(Kindle, Nook, Smashwords)

Absalom’s Wake, Part Six: The Eye of Tangaroa completes the tale of Jonah Padgett, and the ship known as Absalom. The story picks up with Koro escaping into the sea, leaving his friend, Jonah, facing the angry looks of his shipmates. “The man’s a wizard!” declares the crew, preparing to throw Jonah to the sharks. Jonah is saved by the mercy of Captain Godward, who puts him into the small dinghy normally used to taxi about when in harbor, now towed behind the Absalom. Rations are thin, to say the least. The crew sets about the business of hunting King Jim’s harem. Jonah can only watch as the first kills are brought in. King Jim’s response is fast and deadly. The Absalom and all hands, save one, Jonah, go to Davy Jones‘ locker. King Jim, better known as Tangaroa, Lord of the Ocean, has avenged his brides. Jonah is all alone on the open sea. His supplies dwindling, he must struggle to survive. All is lost, except for one hint of hope; Koro!

Part six is a fine ending to the series and I enjoyed reading all of it. The tone continued in this part and flowed well. The multiple plot lines came together efficiently and with good result to make for a great ending. The characters voices continued to keep me engaged. The tension built as each conflict point emerged and was resolved. The ending itself was really good. My only criticism is the large number of typographical errors in this part: these really disrupted the story. I found multiple cases of either repeated words or tenses and just outright missing words that made me guess what the author was trying to say. I cannot overlook errors of this sort, and it is an unfortunate flaw in the conclusion of what is otherwise a great story. While The Eye of Tangarora is not up to the standards of the previous parts of the story, the series overall I would give a “Recommended” Rating. Previous works by this author I have read are: Absalom’s Wake, Part One: Gone A’ Whaling; Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Blood on the Beach; Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider; Absalom’s Wake, Part Four: Terror Comes Aboard; Absalom’s Wake, Part Five: Ocean Born.

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher

Note: Absalom’s Wake is a six-part ebook serial. Check out these reviews of earlier parts of the story!

Absalom’s Wake, Part One: A Serial Adventure of Terror on the High Seas

Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Terror on the Beach

Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider

Absalom’s Wake, Part Four: Terror Comes Aboard

Absalom’s Wake, Part Five: Ocean Born

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Kirsten, Reply

Book Review: Absalom’s Wake, Part Five: Ocean Born by Nancy A. Collins

Absalom’s Wake Part Five: Ocean Born by Nancy A. Collins

Biting Dog Publications, 2013

ASIN: B00G4LMYGW

Available: eBook(Smashwords, Kindle)

Absalom’s Wake Part Five: Ocean Born picks up where part four left off. The crew is recovering from the fight with the savage shark-men of the Mano Kanaka tribe. Ten crew members lie dead, including Captain Solomon. The only surviving officer is Mr. Godward, and he assumes command as captain. Captain Godward decides they are too close to catching King Jim’s harem to stop the hunt and look for new crew members. The hunt continues!

That evening Koro reveals to Jonah that he is descended from one of the Ocean Born, the gods of his people: Ikatere, the Dolphin God. After they fall asleep, Jonah dreams of swimming under the sea with Koro. He is told that it is taboo to hunt King Jim’s harem in these waters. The Absalom is doomed!

The next morning dawns blood red, and the Absalom is in the midst of the harem. Koro refuses to break his taboo and hunt the whales. Captain Godward orders the crew to clap Koro in irons. Eager hands hold Koro until his secret is revealed. Koro is a merman! The shocked crew cries, “Monster!” as Koro dives into the sea, narrowly escaping torture.

This part is as splendid a read as the others in this six part series. The descriptions are just enough to keep it interesting without bogging down the action. The characters each have distinctive voices and have developed to show more depth in each part. The tone has maintained throughout the series very well. The multi-layered plot line is a lot of fun. The mystery and tension keep building as one question leads to another. This is what keeps me hooked! Previous works by this author I have read are: Absalom’s Wake, Part One: Gone A’ Whaling; Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Blood on the Beach; Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider; Absalom’s Wake, Part Four:Terror Comes Aboard. Recommended for adult readers.

Contains: Racist Language, Swearing

Note: Absalom’s Wake is a six-part ebook serial. Check out these reviews of earlier parts of the story!

Absalom’s Wake, Part One: A Serial Adventure of Terror on the High Seas

Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Terror on the Beach

Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider

Absalom’s Wake, Part Four: Terror Comes Aboard

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Kirsten, Reply