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Book Review: Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider by Nancy A. Collins

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 by Nancy A. Collins

Biting Dog Publications, 2013

ASIN: B00BQOAPE0

Available: eBook(Kindle, Nook, Smashwords)

 

This installment of Absalom’s Wake picks up where part two left off, with Jonah Padgett running for his life from cannibals.  Jonah is rescued by a native named Koro of the Aina tribe who spears one of the cannibals and chases the others into the sea.  The cannibals are of the Mano Kanaka tribe and are arch-enemies of the Aina.  They were after Jonah because of the dolphin medallion he wore, left to him by his uncle. Later, Koro accepts an offer to join the crew as a harpooner.  Koro and Jonah end up rooming together, as Jonah is promoted to Ship’s Cooper and life aboard returns to normal.  At Christmas, Koro tells the tale of Kamoho, King Of All The Sharks and father of the Mano Kanaka, The Eaters of Men.  Koro also tells the story of how he came to be born– a story that sounds very much like the story of how Jonah’s beloved uncle won his wife, years before.  A couple of weeks later, another of the Harpooners bets Koro that he can kill the next whale before Koro can.  At stake is a gold watch, against Jonah’s dolphin medallion.  The hunt is on.  Koro leaps onto a whale’s back and mortally wounds it.  The whale thrashes the sea, tossing the whaleboat about.  The call of “Man Overboard!” rings out, as Jonah slips beneath the waves.

This part of the story was well written and does a great job of slipping a few more tantalizing details in with the action sequences– details that  add a bit of tension and suspense to the overall storyline.  I  look forward to finding out just how Koro fits into Jonah’s life.  As with the previous two parts, the author paints a vivid picture of the environment, and the characters have individual voices.  The only complaint I have is that there is the occasional misspelling which tended to break the mood while I sorted out what was intended.   Recommended.

 

Reviewed by: Aaron Fletcher

 

 

 

 

Posted on August 29, 2014 by , Reply

Book Review: The Troop by Nick Cutter

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Gallery Books, 2014

ISBN-13: 978-1-4767-1771-5

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

 

This story is an experience in terror. A very hungry stranger arrives in the town of Lower Montague, Prince Edward Island. The man becomes the talk of the town for eating huge quantities of food. The man then steals a boat and heads to a small island where Scoutmaster Tim Riggs and five scouts are having their annual weekend camping trip. The boys are all good friends and they get along with Scoutmaster Tim, as they call him, but Tim has a bad feeling about the camping trip this year.

 

After dinner, the boys go to their cabin to tell ghost stories. All the typical characters are present: there’s Kent, the popular one, son of the police chief in town; Newton, the nerd; Shelly, the odd one; Max, the boy next door; and Ephraim, the tough guy. While they’re talking, the stranger arrives on the small island. Scoutmaster Tim meets the man, who begs for help and food. Although Tim is afraid of the stranger, and feels there is something very wrong with him, Tim feels it is his duty to help, because in addition to being the Scoutmaster, he is also the town doctor. To make things worse, Tim’s never never seen anything quite like this stranger — he’s a genetically-altered nightmare.

 

Later that night, a storm comes in, and all hell breaks loose. Through no fault of their own, the boys are left all alone. One by one they must assess their situations, and are forced to do things that no one should ever have to do as they fight to survive and get home. What will happen as the scouts are faced with the elements, their own fears and suspicions, and the possibility of injury and infection?

 

This book gives the reader a perfect build-up of human horror. The stranger is just a guy who is down on his luck so agreed to submit to medical experiments in exchange for cash; a scary scenario in itself, and a situation with some real-life basis. The boys are all realistically written, and the reader can easily sympathize with their fear, doubt, and anger at what happens to them. The Troop is a very good, highly intense read. Highly recommended for adult readers.

 

Contains: violence and death, violence involving children

Reviewed by Diana Lord

Posted on July 18, 2014 by , Reply

Book Review: The Colony: Renegades by Michaelbrent Collings

The Colony: Renegades by Michaelbrent Collings

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

ISBN-13: 978-1492896456

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, Audible Book

 

High school teacher Ken Strickland has seen the world come to an end– zombies are taking over. Ken, along with some fellow survivors and friends, Dorcas, Aaron, and Christopher, have gone to the Bank One building to save Ken’s family. While riding the elevator up to the 9th floor, the group encounters a nightmare from which there is no waking up.

These are not old fashioned zombies…they work together to hunt victims, trapping them in webs and vomiting acid. Ken finally finds his family– snagged in a zombie-web. They are all there and alive: his wife, Maggie; their son, Derek; their daughter, Hope; and Liz, the baby. He also finds two others yet uneaten: a man named Buck, and his mother. The band of survivors have to make their way out of the building, fighting zombies all the way.

This is Book 2 in The Colony saga, and it rocks. The plot keeps you in total suspense, guessing what’s going to happen, and you feel as if you are there with the characters, trapped in the building, fighting for your survival. I’ll be waiting with bells on for the conclusion of this exciting series. Recommended for high school and older.

Contains: zombie violence, gore, graphic description of dead bodies, mild profanity, lots of death.

Reviewed by Diana Lord

Posted on July 16, 2014 by , Reply
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