Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King Review

by: Stephen King
Scribners Publishers
ISBN: 978-1439192566
Review by Jim Cherry
Review posted 12/6/2010

Stephen King is perhaps the greatest living writer of any genre working today. His “Hearts in Atlantis” was the best the book of short stories I'd read since Joyce's “Dubliners” and now “ Full Dark, No Stars” puts him in serious contention for being the being the Poe of our time.

“Full Dark, No Stars” is four stories with various levels of horror attached but each story is so very plausible the horror elements don't seem contrived or impossible. The first story “1922” is a very visceral story of murder and it's after effects. You can feel every ounce of creepiness the characters are experiencing. Some of the action may make you want to shrink away from the story but King's writing makes a reader a literary addict needing the next word, sentence, paragraph, hungry to see what happens next.

King wastes no elements in these stories, he explores every dark avenue of the story to it's fullest. “Big Driver” demonstrates this very ably. It's about a writer returning home from a book signing and is raped and left for dead after getting a flat tire. At first I thought King was going to get bogged down in every little detail of the aftermath, but it never happens, and King stays away from every cliche of the genre (whichever genre he may be writing in) but the action leads so naturally from one action to the next you think you're witnessing it unfold in real time.

King also reveals his mastery of the story not only does he show you what he wants you to see, but like any good magician he reveals things only when he's ready to reveal them, and when he does in “Fair Exchange” you realize the clue was in front of you all the time and King just moves the curtain aside ever so slightly to reveal what you only intuited was there.

Each story is loosely connected in theme that there's an unknown self in all of us that can push us over the edge into the unknown. King doubles up on this theme in his last story “A Good Marriage.” We see this from the point of view of a woman who discovers the darkest of secrets about her husband, and her reaction to it. It's a story that's going to make wives think twice about looking around their husband's workbench for spare batteries when the TV remote goes out.

I don't want to resort to the reviewers cliche of saying the author really keeps turning the pages, but in King's case it's an addictively true statement. Each story in “Full Dark, No Stars” is like enjoying a full and satisfying meal and you may want a little time to digest what you've read but you'll find yourself pulled back to find out what happens next.

Jim Cherry is the author of The Last Stage, www.jymsbooks.com

Guardian of the Sky Realms by Gerry Hutman Review

By: Gerry Huntman
IFWG Publishing
ISBN: 978-0984329885
Reviewed by: Jim Cherry
Review posted 12/6/2010

Alienation, self-identity, feelings of becoming something greater than you are have become the subjects of young adult novels. In recent years YA has exploded and opened up to explore weightier and more pertinent subjects to teens, such as nascent love and sexual awakening, than previous generation’s Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. These subjects are finding a voice and expression in heroic stories or supernatural novels creating a new mythology for teens.

Gerry Huntman’s Guardian of the Sky Realms is the story of a typical Sydney teen Maree who is an outsider at school and the confines of her homelife are well, confining. Maree craves to be able to become the person she knows is inside. Maree has an affinity for angels. She finds herself unconsciously drawing them. She discovers a painting titled “Wings in Despair” and decides to steal it. When Maree tries to steal the painting she discovers it is a nexus to another world, another world where she was once a guardian of the sky realm named Mirriam. She must discover which of these is her true self while fighting the fear that she may be losing her real self. Alanar, who was once a guardian of the sky realm with Mirriam, becomes her guide to this new world. Alanar must teach her the rules of the world, and accompanies Maree on a quest to save the boy she loves in the human world.

In the author’s note it says Gerry Huntman was active in Australia’s role playing world and you can see it in the writing. Huntman has created a highly imaginative world where hopefully a teen would imagine himself in. Instead of letting the reader discover that world as Maree/Mirriam does, the reader is given the information in a lump sum form where the history and rules are laid out instead of letting the magic of discovery awe the reader as well as Maree.

The main theme that I think Huntman intended the novel to be, finding your identity, seems unfocused. He lets the different elements he uses in the novel, fantasy, heroic adventure, the quest, lead him off on tangents that are fun to read but he they don’t reinforce the theme. For instance, when Alanar takes Maree/Mirriam to Suisa the prophetess, and all the detail in how the future is augured feels like the novel has been abandoned for a role playing game. If these elements were more successfully integrated it would make for a more satisfying novel.

Guardian of the Sky Realms pushes some of the right buttons in wanting to explore the transformation of teens into adult roles, but the fantasy elements, dragons and gargoyles seems like a story a much younger audience would enjoy rather than a teenaged audience.

Jim Cherry is the author of The Last Stage, www.jymsbooks.com

Legacies by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill Review

by Mercedes Lackey
Tor Teen Books
ISBN:978-0765327079
Review Posted: 11/26/2010

Legacies the first book in the new Shadow Grail Series, by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill tells of a teenage girl named Sprint who parents die in a horrible car crash. She wakes up in a hospital where she is told that her parents have arranged for her to go to a prestigious school called Oakhurst. However, once she gets there she finds out Oakhurst is no regular school but one that is for what are considered 'legacy children' which also means magical. As she makes friends and figures out what her powers maybe and why she is there, students start to disappear from the school and her new found friends and her start to investigate. Could there be something more to the school than just learning?

Getting into this book I found it interesting. It kept my attention and seemed to have decent characters and overall background for them to play in. As the main character Sprint and her friends traveled around the school I did get a sense that soon they would walk around the corner and someone would yell 'hey Harry.' Yes there were many similarities to that series where a main character named Harry is in that is included in this book; from the professor name to the school, to even how they go about investigating.

Even though similarities are there between this book and another series out there, I did find it charming and loved the way the characters' powers were described and at times how they were limited even if they were in a magical school.

Yes, this book is easy reading and it won't take years to complete, but it is good entertainment and looking forward to the next book in the series.

Trio of Sorcery by Mercedes Lackey Review

by Mercedes Lackey
Tor Books
ISBN:978-0765328519
Review Posted: 11/23/2010

Trio of Sorcery three new tales by Mercedes Lackey. Two of the stories brings back two characters, Diana Tregarde from the Diana Tregarde series in Arcanum 101 and Jennifer Talldeer from Sacred Ground in Drums. Plus there is a new story called Ghost in the Machine.

The first story Arcanum 101, brings back witch and guardian, Diana Tregarde, in the 70's Harvard days. Diana discovers her life as a college student and guardian can be rough and at times lonely. She comes across a cop who sent by what he says is his cousin to seek her help out on a case of what seems to be a fraud psychic. She along with her new found friends in her apartment, seek out the psychic and find out other strange things as well.

Arcanum 101 is the meat of the three stories. It was interesting to see the time period play out with the magic symbolism and how Diana related to it. The story was fresh and crisp. Something that was just plain delightful to read. Even if you haven't read the series of Diana Tregarde before, you will just adore this story focused on her trials being a college student and having these special gifts.

Drums brings back a character from where Sacred Ground left off, Jennifer Talldeer. She's a Osage Shaman and a private investigator. In this particular story, she is tracking down an angry Osage ghost who has paid its attention on a young Chicksaw woman.

Drums lacks what Sacred Ground had started. The story is set more modern in 1995 with a few confusing history points for us who have lived in 1995 would be going 'uh?' The story seemed to drag and drag. The sparkle that was Jennifer Talldeer was not there. She was the same second guessing character who investigated something supernatural, but in Drums it became listening to something whinny and predictable.

The last story out of the three is called Ghost in the Machine. Lackey brought into play a new character,Ellen McBride who is a computer programmer and technoshaman. The story starts out with a programmer, Tom, confused about why people's avatars are getting crucial hits and being killed off when they shouldn't be. Then he receives a suggestion to see Ellen to possible help out with the problem. In turn, there is a lot going into the gaming world and supernatural world they both discover.

This story was to say the least, interesting. In being a gamer myself, it was a nice twist to something some of us wonder at times, could there be some outside force running the game or computer? I would say Ghost in the Machine was like trying a new piece of candy for the first time. The flavor was new, and you liked it, but not sure if you wish to taste it again.

Over all Trio of Sorcery if you are a Lackey fan is not a bad read. I do caution that it does in places lack spark, and a feeling of dread having to push through some of the pages.

How to Be a Zombie: The Essential Guide for Anyone Who Craves Brains by Serena Valentino Review

by Serena Valentino
Candlewick Press
ISBN:978-0763649340
Review Posted: 11/19/2010

Zombies are everywhere. In movies, books, and even T.V., but what if you were a zombie or wanted to be one and had a hard time figuring stuff out?

Well How to be a Zombie by Serena Valentino is a guide so that you don't sweat the small stuff.

Inside descriptions of different zombies, different zombie fashion looks, how to look like a zombie before you make the final dive into actually becoming one and how to deal with your human counterparts and much more.

I found this book just funny in some cases and the pictures and descriptions for each section not too bad. Though there were some things about zombies they choose as the best for movies ect. that I may disagree with, this book gave a look at what could be a guide to all us zombie lovers.

Breaths in Winter: A Collection by Donna Burgess Review

by Donna Burgess
Naked Snake Press
ISBN:978-1453868621
Review by: Rob Walter
Review Posted: 11/16/2010


Breaths in Winter: A Collection contains 31 stories. Some are dark, some more intense and some just plain out disturbing. The stories make your heart flutter in not so good ways, makes you look under your bed at night and some are just amazing to read.

Three of these stories stuck out the most as what I thought were the best of this collection: Teenage Zombie Homecoming Queen, Scarecrow John, and The Vampire's Tale.

The best overall story was Teenage Zombie Homecoming Queen. The story goes by way of what is called 'Deadgirl's Blog' and takes you through the days of Audrey who with some freak running into what was considered to be a 'deader', was bit. She then describes her days as a new 'deader' and how life as a teenager goes with her new found status.

This collection brings about joy in the hearts of any horror fan. It brings forward interesting topics, twists and turns and just an overall feeling of disappointment when you get to the last page.

Well, done Ms. Burgess on giving us a new exciting look at stories and letting this reviewer enjoy your work.

Pomegranate Stories by Gay Degani Review

by Gay Degani
Lulu Publishing
ISBN:978-0557222100
Review by: Rob Walter
Review Posted: 11/3/2010

Pomegranate Stories is Gay Degani’s newest collection of eight short stories for conversation. Published by Lulu Press it includes the following stories:

Dani-Girls Guide to Getting Everything Right
Hawaiian Hairdo
Rim Shot
Listing Lisa
Chair Girl
Pomegranate
Spring Melt
Monsoon

The stories in this collection all feature the mother-daughter relationship at the core of the story. These relationships range from how to survive in a dysfunctional family to what is or should be important in life. Without giving away the stories, Pomegranate and Monsoon were two that really caught my attention and forced me to spend time with.

Pomegranate was really disturbing as it explores the mother-daughter connection and how that can sustain you over distances and through difficult times. The circumstances and emotions drawn out by the story hit so close to my life and served as a cautionary tale.

Monsoon rang a reality bell to reinforce what is important in one’s life vice what we let distract us. It took me awhile to put the book down after I finished reading.

Ms. Degani is a good story teller and quite talented with drawing the reader into the story and getting them to empathize with the characters in the story. The emotions generated are quite real and power the reader into the story. The stories serve to get the reader to examine their own lives in a different light.

This isn’t my normal area of enjoyable reading, but I was quite surprised to find that I liked the collection of stories.

Overall, I recommend this collection.