Review: Embers of War (Embers of War #1) by Gareth L. Powell

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Title:  Embers of War
Series: Embers of War #1
Author: Gareth L. Powell
Genre: Adult, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Space Opera, Fiction
Publication Date: February 20th, 2018 by Titan Books
Format: Paperback
Source: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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Rating:
The warship Trouble Dog was built and bred for calculating violence, yet following a brutal war, she finds herself disgusted by conflict and her role in a possible war crime. Seeking to atone, she joins the House of Reclamation, an organization dedicated to rescuing ships in distress.

But, stripped of her weaponry and emptied of her officers, she struggles in the new role she’s chosen for herself. When a ship goes missing in a disputed system, Trouble Dog and her new crew of misfits and loners, captained by Sal Konstanz, an ex-captain of a medical frigate who once fought against Trouble Dog, are assigned to investigate and save whoever they can.

Meanwhile, light years away, intelligence officer Ashton Childe is tasked with locating and saving the poet, Ona Sudak, who was aboard the missing ship, whatever the cost. In order to do this, he must reach out to the only person he considers a friend, even if he’s not sure she can be trusted. What Childe doesn’t know is that Sudak is not the person she appears to be.

Quickly, what appears to be a straightforward rescue mission turns into something far more dangerous, as Trouble Dog, Konstanz, and Childe, find themselves at the center of a potential new conflict that could engulf not just mankind but the entire galaxy.

If she is to survive and save her crew, Trouble Dog is going to have to remember how to fight.
*** I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much too, Titan Books for the opportunity to read and review Embers of War. ***

Whoa, what an amazing and fantastic book was Embers of War was for me. I absolutely and thoroughly loved and enjoyed everything about this book, it had everything that I love in sci-fi books. Plus when I heard this was a space opera book I had to check it out. I really don't want to go into any details about this book because I don't want to spoil it for anybody. But I will say what I love about this book. First I would like to say I haven't read a lot of sci-fi books and that this book was really different and unique to me, the plotline and concept of Embers of War were so unique and different to me that I have never read a book quite like this one before. And I absolutely love the refreshing and new to me plotline and concept that I was on my toes and on the edge of my set while reading this amazing book. I needed to know and learn more about the characters and world and I most certainly did get to learn and know a lot more about the complex world and characters. All the characters were very well developed and rounded they were also diverse and complex, I absolutely loved reading and knowing each character. The writing style was expressive, expository and descriptive, I just love reading the description of the world and the expression of each character. I especially love learning about the subjects in Embers of War which I won't say what the subject is because of a spoiler, but I will say the subject and concept of this book is absolutely fantastic that I was left in awe. But I will say this book is about redemption, second chances, and peace. And I am going to leave it off here without getting a spoiler, but all and all I absolutely love and enjoy Embers of War that I will most definitely continue reading this series. The ending did leave off that there is going to be more and there are a few unfinished questions, plus I see this is the first book of the Embers of War series. And this most definitely won't be the last book that I will read by Gareth L. Powell he really is an amazing and fantastic sci-fi author! I can't wait to read more books by Gareth L. Powell in the near future.
Gareth L. Powell is an award-winning author from the UK. His alternate history thriller, Ack-Ack Macaque won the 2013 BSFA Award for Best Novel, spawned two sequels, and was shortlisted in the Best Translated Novel category for the 2016 Seiun Awards in Japan. His short fiction has appeared in a host of magazines and anthologies, including Interzone, Solaris Rising 3, and The Year’s Best Science Fiction, and his story ‘Ride The Blue Horse’ made the shortlist for the 2015 BSFA Award.

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Review: Big Trouble in Little China Vol. 1: The Hell of the Midnight Road & The Ghosts of Storms (Big Trouble in Little China) by Eric Powell (Writer), Brian Churilla (Illustrator) & John Carpenter (Creator)

Title: Big Trouble in Little China Vol. 1: The Hell of the Midnight Road & The Ghosts of Storms
Series: Big Trouble in Little China
Author:  Eric Powell (Writer), Brian Churilla (Illustrator) & John Carpenter (Creator)
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Humor
Publication Date: June 9th, 2015 by BOOM! Studios
Format: Digital
Source: Library
Rating:
Jack Burton's BACK!

Jack Burton, a macho, truck-driving adventurer, finds a stowaway demon hiding on his rig, The Pork Chop Express, but that soon becomes the least of his troubles. He helped his best friend Wang save his fiance from the clutches of an ancient sorcerer, but now the wedding has been invaded by more evil forces with one thing on their minds: revenge against Jack Burton! Director John Carpenter returns with Eric Powell (THE GOON) and artist Brian Churilla (SECRET HISTORY OF D.B. COOPER) in the continuing adventures of Jack Burton, taking place mere moments after the ending to the cult-classic. Collecting the first four issues of the critically acclaimed series.
I went into this graphic novel totally blind, I have seen the movie when I was a kid. And it was one of my all-time favorite movies ever when I was a kid. And when I saw there was a graphic novel of the film I had to check it out, but this book was just ok for me. I did like it enough to continue on reading the rest of the series though. I just don’t have high hopes for this series. Now if you haven't see the film of Big Trouble in Little China you might get a little confused reading this graphic novel. Because this graphic novel starts off exactly where the film left off at the end and I always wonder what was going to happen next to Jack Burton. If he ever was going back to little china again. Now I don't want to get into any details about this graphic novel because I don't want to spoil it for anybody. But I will say it was very nostalgic reading this book seeing Jack and the crew back again in this graphic novel. I never realize how much I missed these corky characters and the fantastic world of little china, I especially missed Jack and his misfit crew. And this graphic novel brought back all my memories of them, there also includes new funny and crazy villains as well which I absolutely loved reading about. But I really didn't like the artwork don't get me wrong the artwork was really pretty but it was kind of weird for me as well. But I do think the artwork fits right with this graphic novel because the film was a cult classic and unique of its own. Like I say the characters in the film were unique, corky and weird as well some of them were very funny too. So the artwork fit perfect for this graphic novel I just didn't love it, as well the writing style and dialog were absolutely hilarious and funny as well, which I thought that it also fit perfect for this graphic novel too and I absolutely love that aspect of the graphic novel. And this graphic novel is also really short I wanted to read and learned more about what going to happen next to Jack so it is a really quick read too. I did thoroughly enjoy this graphic novel I just didn't love it, I will continue on reading more of this series too see what happens next too Jack and his misfit crew after that ending! 
Eric Powell (Writer)
Eric Powell has contributed work on such comics titles as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Hellboy: Weird Tales, Star Wars Tales, The Incredible Hulk, Black Panther, The Avengers, The Hood, MAD Magazine, Devil Dinosaur, Swamp Thing, the Avengers, She-Hulk, the Simpsons, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and Action Comics.

Although eking out a meager living in the comics field since 1995, Eric didn't find true success until he launched his critically acclaimed dark comedy series The Goon. The Goon was subsequently picked up by Dark Horse Comics and boasts a diehard cult following.
John Carpenter (Creator)
John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and composer. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction films from the 1970s and 1980s.

Numerous films in Carpenter's career were critical and commercial failures, with the notable exceptions of Halloween (1978) and Escape from New York (1981). However, many of Carpenter's films from the 1970s and the 1980s, such as Dark Star (1974), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), The Fog (1980), The Thing (1982), Starman (1984), Big Trouble in Little China (1986) and They Live (1988) have since become cult classics, and Carpenter has been acknowledged as an influential filmmaker.

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: At Woods Edge (Of The Trees #2) by E.M. Fitch

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

 
Hello Readers! Welcome to the Cover Reveal for
At Woods Edge by E.M. Fitch
presented by Month9Books!
Celebrate this reveal by entering the giveaway found at the end of the post!
   
 
It’s only a matter of time before he gets what he’s come for.
Cassie Harris has turned her back on best friend Laney Blake. She had no other choice. Laney is one of them now, a creature of the trees. As Cassie’s senior year wears on, the woods grow quiet, snow blankets the ground, and the murderous beings who once taunted her have drifted away like the brittle leaves of Fall. Though the woods no longer stir with rushed whispers and wind-blown laughter, the fear remains.
No one understands this fear better than Cassie. She wishes she could tell them not to worry. After all, the shape-shifting men of the trees and the women who travel with them, seeking out girls to abduct from carnivals, are gone. And the one that stayed behind? He isn’t interested in anyone but her.
Now, Aidan’s interest in Cassie is a chilling reminder of the what lurks at woods edge. He stalks her home, her school, her bedroom. He won’t stop until he can find a way to lure Cassie into the forest to become one with him forever.
At Woods Edge (Of the Trees #2) Author: E.M. Fitch Release Date: March 27, 2018
Available for Pre-order:
   
E. M. Fitch is an author who loves scary stories, chocolate, and tall trees. Her latest novel, OF THE TREES, is a Young Adult horror/fantasy inspired by haunted cemeteries and the darker musings of W.B. Yeats. Its sequel, AT WOODS EDGE, will be released in the coming year from Month9Books. She is the author of the Young Adult zombie trilogy: THE BREAK FREE SERIES. Her story, BETWEEN SHADOWS, was recently featured in the Fragments of Darkness anthology; and her new collection of short stories entitled THE VEIL: GHOSTS, GOBLINS, GHOULS is coming soon! She has been published in Pulp Metal Magazine, Under the Bed Magazine, and her short stories RELEASE and THE CREEP were featured respectively in CHBB’s Lurking in the Shadows and Lurking in the Mind anthologies. When not dreaming up new ways to torture characters, she is usually corralling her four children, or thinking of ways to tire them out so she can get an hour of peace at night.
 
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Book Blogger Hop #65

Friday, February 23, 2018


Book Blogger Hop Hosted by Billy B. at Ramblings Of A Coffee Addicted Writer



This Week Question:

Do you read hardcovers with the dust jacket on or off? Why or why not?  (submitted by Maria @ A Night's Dream of Books)
My Answer:
I read hardcover with the dust jacket on, I  have always read hardcovers with the dust jacket on. The dust jacket really doesn't  bother me while I am reading a book. Sorry, I can't really explain why  I do this.



How About You? 




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