Books tagged with: abuse

  • The Long MidnightEd Gorman
    The Long Midnight
    by Ed Gorman
    Horror

    I remember seeing Ed’s books in shops when I was younger, mysterious front covers that looked interesting but back covers that sounded just a bit, well, naff. You then look closer and read things like "Master of Dark Suspense", Koontz stating that, "Gorman’s writing is strong, fast and sleek as a bu...

  • The FiremanJoe Hill
    The Fireman
    by Joe Hill
    Fantasy

    Joe Hill is one of those authors who improve with each book ,and The Fireman is nothing short of spectacular. A highly contagious spore has begun to spread across the World, a pandemic that sees people break out in beautiful gold and black marks before spontaneously self-combusting. Draco Incendia T...

  • My Heart is a ChainsawStephen Graham Jones
    My Heart is a Chainsaw
    by Stephen Graham Jones
    Horror

    Fans of slasher films will recognise many of the rules that make up the genre. The Final Girl will win the day at the last moment when she realises her own strength. This character will be a bastion of good and innocence, but those around her will not. The rocker, goth, cheerleader, geek – all...

  • Demon SeedDean Koontz
    Demon Seed
    by Dean Koontz
    Horror

    A book so good he had to write it twice? Actually that’s a fair statement to make. Demon Seed was originally written in the 70’s and then thirty years later was completely re-written. The story and plot remains the same but what Koontz has done is move the novel into the 21st century with modern day...

  • Blood ReactionDL Atha
    Blood Reaction
    by DL Atha
    Fantasy

    Asa, the century old, vindictive and cruel vampire invades the home of single mother and physician Annalice forcing her to strike a bargain for her daughters life as the monster takes control of her own life and home. Caught in a race against a genetic timeline she must rely on her skills as a phys...

  • The Troll HunterKeith Blackmore
    The Troll Hunter
    by Keith Blackmore
    Fantasy

    The Troll Hunter is a heroic fantasy novel by Keith Blackmore. Fresh from the battle infirmaries, a band of rogues, cuts throats and killers return to duty and are ordered north through the war torn country. They know nothing of their mission except that they must protect a mysterious Koch (armoure...

  • Trinity RisingElspeth Cooper
    Trinity Rising
    by Elspeth Cooper
    Fantasy

    When we left Gair at the end of the spectacular novel Songs of the Earth there had been a pretty big shock. Rather than start where the story left off, Trinity Rising instead follows Teia, a young woman who seems destined to witness great and terrible things. a young woman who has hidden powers few...

  • In the Hall of the Martian KingJohn Barnes
    Science Fiction

    In the Hall of the Martian King is the third volume in the Jak Jinnaka series by the American author John Barnes. This is the third book in the Jak Jinnaka series. Jak, has gotten him self an easy job administrating the Hive base on Deimos. Noting much is supposed to happen, but of cause something...

  • The Diamond AgeNeal Stephenson
    The Diamond Age
    by Neal Stephenson
    Science Fiction

    The Diamond Age is a speculative fiction novel by the award winning author Neal Stephenson. Where the core technologies of matter compilers and nanotechnology of this book is quite interesting and where Stephensons portrayal of a future based on nanotechnology is one of the best, that I've ev...

  • Whipping StarFrank Herbert
    Whipping Star
    by Frank Herbert
    Science Fiction

    This Frank Herbert fella wrote the book Dune which was a semi sleeper for me as it walked around this barren planet with some aristocracy stuff going on, got to try to read it again maybe I'm missing something? This other "WHIPPING STAR" is swell though. Frank's little obtuse and abstract words and...

  • ManrootAnne Steinberg
    Manroot
    by Anne Steinberg
    Fantasy

    Manroot opens in the spring of 1930 with Katherine Sheahan and her father, Jessie, looking for work in the tourist town of Castlewood, Missouri. Jesse gets a job as a handyman and Katherine as a hotel maid. While her father eventually embraces the drink and disappears, Katherine makes a living for h...

  • The Philosophers StoneJ K Rowling
    The Philosophers Stone
    by J K Rowling
    Fantasy

    (Seems to be titled "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the US). Not a word about Hollywood and the movie (which I will be seeing in a couple of days). Not a word about the merchandise and kids dressed as Potter. Not a word about how this book made the kids read again. Just the book. Some o...

  • The PassengersJohn Marrs
    The Passengers
    by John Marrs
    Science Fiction

    Call me old fashioned, I am a little scared of the future. This is a sentiment that will hit many of us eventually. What is wrong with the way technology works right now? Do I really need to talk to my speakers or plug myself into the Matrix just to order a pizza? The idea of getting behind the whee...

  • The Triumph of the Spider MonkeyJoyce Carol Oates
    The Triumph of the Spider Monkey
    by Joyce Carol Oates
    General Fiction

    A lot of crime fiction is told from the prospective of an investigator. We follow them as they stumble across clues and finally get their suspect. This method provides structure and cohesion as even amateur sleuths follow some sort of logical pattern. Authors such as John Sandford and his Prey serie...

  • Love BitesRy Herman
    Love Bites
    by Ry Herman
    Horror

    The best thing about genre fiction is that it provides such a wide array of ideas. Take the concept of a vampire novel. You may immediately think of gothic buildings and lace, but you could easily read a modern vampire novel that is violent and full of action. Love Bites by...

  • Divine HereticJaime Lee Moyer
    Divine Heretic
    by Jaime Lee Moyer
    Fantasy

    Power is an interesting dynamic; some people want it, whilst others have no interest at all. Joan of Arc had a lot of power for a while but then it went (being burned at the stake will do that to you). Was she a heretic and a witch that craved this power, or was she someone caught up in&nb...

  • Hard TimeJodi Taylor
    Hard Time
    by Jodi Taylor
    Science Fiction

    The timeline is fragile. Stand on a butterfly in the Jurassic Era and you may end up returning to a world in which we all have seven arms – useful for multi-tasking. If time travel were available not everybody would respect the past and therefore, it needs to be policed. A subtle and intellige...

  • Rory Hobble and the Voyage to HaligogenMaximilian Hawker
    Science Fiction

    I remember being a young science fiction reader and scouring the shelves of my local library looking for works designed for my age group. The only one I ever remember getting my hands on was Batteries Not Included by Seth McCoy. The modern ...

  • PodLaline Paull
    Pod
    by Laline Paull
    General Fiction

    Nature, red in claw and tooth. It is a world of the strong surviving the weak dying. Therefore, fiction that tells a story from the animal perspective can be full on. Watership Down and The Animals of Farthing Wood have managed to traumatise many a youth and even the jolly Redwall books I used to re...

  • Nettle and BoneT Kingfisher
    Nettle and Bone
    by T Kingfisher
    Fantasy

    I have read many genre books and I see trends in what is currently popular or going through a period of high quality. The dark gothic fairy tale is having a moment in the sun as I have recently read some excellent stories that hark back to a feel of past fables but are their own modern take. T Kingf...

  • The Stage Mother's ClubRon Capshaw
    The Stage Mother's Club
    by Ron Capshaw
    Horror

    It is amazing what can inspire a writer. A little thought worm can drill itself into their head and the only peace to be found is to write the thing out. Ron Capshaw’s inspiration for The Stage Mother’s Club seems to be the author’s fascination with all the failed stage Mums who co...

  • FluxJinwoo Chong
    Flux
    by Jinwoo Chong
    Science Fiction

    Time travel is one of the most complex and difficult concepts to write in fiction. On the screen you can use visuals as shorthand to try and explain what on Earth is going on, but in fiction you are required to explain it all, or not. There is a choice. Do you go down the route of hard science and t...

  • BurrowedMary Baader Kaley
    Burrowed
    by Mary Baader Kaley
    Science Fiction

    When the apocalypse happens, science fiction has taught us that some of us will run below and others will be left on the surface. Pick a side. Down below could be a Fallout or Wool situation, better than being on the surface, dead or a mutant. Up above could be The Time Machine or Mary Baader K...

  • Reluctant ImmortalsGwendolyn Kiste
    Reluctant Immortals
    by Gwendolyn Kiste
    Horror

    Classic stories leaving copyright has been a boon to modern authors who are suddenly able to play with much loved characters as they wish. The mash up is not unusual when two contemporary characters suddenly meet, but often these books are set at the same time as the original text. What would happen...

  • The First Bright ThingJ R Dawson
    The First Bright Thing
    by J R Dawson
    Fantasy

    Circuses are magical places; they are also mysterious and occasionally a bit murderous. All the elements that make them perfect for romantic visions of running away and visiting new places each week, are also perfect for someone who likes to snatch victims and not be around when the police start to...

  • PomegranatesPriya Sharma
    Pomegranates
    by Priya Sharma
    Science Fiction

    In the aftermath of the global pandemic, there is a darkness to the world that has yet to retreat. The way in which writers approach their craft in this moment is crucial. Some are electing to ignore it in the stories that they create, whilst others embrace the context directly in their work. In gen...

  • Shark HeartEmily Habeck
    Shark Heart
    by Emily Habeck
    Science Fiction

    If I have said it once, I have it said a thousand times, science fiction is the best genre as it is so wide reaching. Stories can be grandiose, epic Space Operas with multiple characters on several planets. Or, stories can be personal affairs, titbits of speculative fiction that tweaks our own reali...

  • GuillotineDelilah S. Dawson
    Guillotine
    by Delilah S. Dawson
    Horror

    There are enough stories escaping from Private Islands that makes me think that the rich do not think there are consequences for their actions. What happens on the island stays on the island. With luck, it may just be a celebrity marriage, but on the other hand it could be some of the darkest moment...

  • The RaveningDaniel Church
    The Ravening
    by Daniel Church
    Horror

    Horror comes in many shapes and sizes. The horror could be on this plane of existence, a creature that stalks you and your family through generations. It could be even closer to home, the horror of the mundane, the terror of ordinary people willing to do anything to achieve their goals, even if this...