Archive for April, 2014

	Series: The Walking Dead (Book 4) Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (March 4, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 1250052017 ISBN-13: 978-1250052018	Order book here:
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Characters:

Phillip Blake – Leader of a group of Zombie Apocalypse survivors in a town called Woodbury. Known as the Governor.
Bob Stookey – Alcoholic and Veteran resident of Woodbury.
Lilly Caul – Survivor and resident of Woodbury.

Synopsis:

After being brutally attacked by outsiders, the governor lies on the brink of death. As a result, the town of Woodbury finds itself without a leader. With no other choices, Lilly Caul steps up to fill the governor’s shoes. When he recovers though, Rick Grimes and his group will have hell to pay.

Review

This is a truly fitting conclusion to the 4 novel ARC of The Walking Dead that begin with Rise of the Governor. Through the 4 books we’ve seen the Governor go from his more peaceful beginnings to a man ready to do whatever it takes to protect those under his protection. While in his mind, he’s the good guy, his methods very often leave a lot to be desired, and he’s more of an anti-hero than a heroic figure.

We get to see a lot more parallels to the events contained within the pages of the Comic Series, and to see some of what occurred after Rick Grimes and his band of survivors are forced out of the Prison they’d been living in. Once again filled with a lot of Zombie Action, and characters in peril, this novel kept me reading from page one, and I truly couldn’t put it down.

I’d rate it for adults and older teens due to the savage violence, imagery, and adult situations presented. But for fans of The Walking Dead who love the character of The Governor and would like to see his whole story, then you should definitely pick these novels up. If you’ve read the comic though, be warned that some events may be spoiled.

Robert Kirkman is best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics and SKYBOUND.

He is one of the five partners of Image Comics and is an executive producer and writer on AMC’s critically acclaimed television series The Walking Dead.

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE says, “Jay Bonansinga has quickly and firmly established himself as one of the most imaginative writers of thrillers. His twisting narratives, with their in-your-face glimpses of violence, are set in an unstable, almost psychotic universe that makes the work of many of his contemporaries look rather tame.”

Jay also proudly wears the hat of indie filmmaker: his music videos have been seen on The Nashville Network and Public Television, and his short film CITY OF MEN was awarded the prestigious silver plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival. In 2008, his feature-film debut, STASH (based on his short story of the same title collected in CANDY IN THE DUMPSTER), won the Gold Remi at the Houston International Film Festival and Best Comedy at the Iowa City and Queens International film festivals. STASH was shot in Chicago and stars Tim Kazurinsky (POLICE ACADEMY) and the late Marilyn Chambers (INSATIABLE), and has appeared on On-Demand nationwide in 50 million households. Jay has also worked as a screenwriter with horror legend George Romero, Will Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment, and Dennis Haysbert (THE UNIT).

The holder of a master’s degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, Jay currently resides in Evanston, Illinois. He is also a visiting professor at Northwestern University in their Creative Writing for the Media program, as well as the Graduate Writing Program at DePaul University. He can be reached at jaybona@aol.com.

You can discuss this book here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

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	Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; Mti edition (October 8, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312548176 ISBN-13: 978-0312548179	Order book here:
		Order E-book here:

Characters:

Phillip Blake – Leader of a group of Zombie Apocalypse survivors in a town called Woodbury. Known as the Governor.
Bob Stookey – Alcoholic and Veteran resident of Woodbury.
Lilly Caul – Survivor and resident of Woodbury.

Synopsis:

Philip continues his reign over the city and residents of Woodbury until he’s threatened by outside forces. Violence and tragedy follow, in what could lead to the end of Woodbury.

Review

This novel really started to parallel the events of The Walking Dead Comic series. While the comics present the story from the view of Rick Grimes and the band of survivors he is with, these novels present the story from the other side, the people of Woodbury. Like the comic there is a lot of excellent zombie fighting action, characters you’ve gotten to know may live through it, they may not, the suspense gets intense.

While there may be spoilers for those who’ve read the comics, I found that knowing what is going to happen didn’t detract from my enjoyment. I loved getting a glimpse into the mind of Phillip Blake, a character darker than some of the great literary evils.

That is where the beauty of The Walking Dead, and these books really take off. The Walking Dead is character driven. You get to know the characters, you get in their heads, and when they die, or those they love die, you feel for them. You grow to despise the governor, feel for Lilly, and hold your breath when the characters you like find themselves in danger.

Overall a great entry in The Walking Dead series, and a great followup to the previous two. If this is any indication, I’ll be sticking with this novel series for as long as they want to crank them out.

I’d rate it teens and older adults for blood, gore, guts, and general zombie mayhem. May be too violent for some readers, but for fans of The Walking Dead and zombie flicks in general, I heartily recommend it.

Robert Kirkman is best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics and SKYBOUND.

He is one of the five partners of Image Comics and is an executive producer and writer on AMC’s critically acclaimed television series The Walking Dead.

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE says, “Jay Bonansinga has quickly and firmly established himself as one of the most imaginative writers of thrillers. His twisting narratives, with their in-your-face glimpses of violence, are set in an unstable, almost psychotic universe that makes the work of many of his contemporaries look rather tame.”

Jay also proudly wears the hat of indie filmmaker: his music videos have been seen on The Nashville Network and Public Television, and his short film CITY OF MEN was awarded the prestigious silver plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival. In 2008, his feature-film debut, STASH (based on his short story of the same title collected in CANDY IN THE DUMPSTER), won the Gold Remi at the Houston International Film Festival and Best Comedy at the Iowa City and Queens International film festivals. STASH was shot in Chicago and stars Tim Kazurinsky (POLICE ACADEMY) and the late Marilyn Chambers (INSATIABLE), and has appeared on On-Demand nationwide in 50 million households. Jay has also worked as a screenwriter with horror legend George Romero, Will Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment, and Dennis Haysbert (THE UNIT).

The holder of a master’s degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, Jay currently resides in Evanston, Illinois. He is also a visiting professor at Northwestern University in their Creative Writing for the Media program, as well as the Graduate Writing Program at DePaul University. He can be reached at jaybona@aol.com.

You can discuss this book here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

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	Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: William Morrow (January 7, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: ISBN-10: 0062064851 ISBN-13: 978-ISBN-13: 978-0062064851	Order book here:
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Characters:

Jeremy Fisk – Detective, NYPD Intelligence Division
Cecilia Garza – Commandante of the Policia Federal also known as the Ice Queen.

Synopsis:

Twenty Three headless bodies are found on the U.S. Mexican Border. Commandante Cecilia Garza is called in to investigate and this puts her on the trial of a warlord known as The Hummingbird. Jeremy Fisk is pulled into the plot when similar bodies are found washed up in New York. The two officers must overcome their own strong personalities and find a way to catch the killer before tragedy strikes.

Review

Okay, in my review of the previous novel, my biggest complaint was character development. The characters this time around are a little more developed, they actually began to grow on me. In particular, I found myself really liking the tough as nails character of Cecilia Garza. Fisk himself showed a little more of an edge in this followup, then he did in the previous novel.

The drawback this time though, is the plot. While it’s a very strong plot, it’s almost redundant to the plot of the previous novel. Two detectives must stop an Assassin before he kills a major world leader at a highly publicized event. Slight details changed, but overall it was very similar to The Intercept.

That aside though, I did enjoy it because it was different enough in the finer details that it made a good story with interesting characters. Another great summer time read for all of you out there, but as previously, I’d put an older teen/adult warning on it for violence and adult situations.

About the Author
Dick Wolf, a two-time Emmy award-winning writer, producer, and creator, is the architect of one of the most successful brands in the history of television—NBC’s Law & Order, among the longest-running scripted shows.

Wolf has won numerous awards, including Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series (Law & Order) and Outstanding Made-for-Television Movie (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee); a Grammy; and an Edgar.

He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Intercept; The Execution is the second book in his Jeremy Fisk series. He lives in Southern California.

*Disclaimer* A special thanks goes out to Daniella at Harper Collins for a review copy of this book. It in no way influenced my review. You can discuss it here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

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	Hardcover: 400 pages Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (December 26, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: ISBN-10: 0062064835 ISBN-13: 978-ISBN-13: 978-0062064837	Order book here:
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Characters:

Jeremy Fisk: NYPD Detective, Assigned to FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Krina Gersten : Fisk’s partner.

Synopsis:

A Passenger plane is hijacked midflight and in risk of being flown into New York City. Five Passengers and a Flight Attendant manage to overtake the Hijacker. As a result, they become media celebrities and involve in a plot larger than just a stolen plane.

Review

I enjoyed the story behind this. I found the plot fast paced and interesting, as well as reflecting current situations. This wasn’t surprising though, given the author is Dick Wolf of Law & Order fame. The plot seems like something that could have been yanked from the headlines, a plot by extremists to take out former President Bush as well as President Obama.

Jeremy Fisk is assigned to track down and stop the terrorists, while his partner, and unknown to anyone else lover, is assigned the minor task of guarding or in her thoughts, babysitting, these 6 passengers.

While the plotline is great, the characters to me felt a little flat. Unlike Law & Order where you’ve had multiple seasons to get to know each character, in novels you only get a limited number of pages. These characters seems a bit flat. I don’t know much more about Fisk or Gersten after I read the book, then I really knew about them before.

That’s my one complaint though, and Mr. Wolf’s stories have always been mostly plot and story driven rather than character driven to begin with, so look at this as an extension of Law & Order.

Overall, I found it enjoyable, but would would have had more of an impact if I’d cared about the characters. When characters are killed or injured in novels, I want to feel something for them, and unfortunately in this, I didn’t feel that.

Does that detract from the overall novel. For most people, probably not, but I’m a character person. I like to put myself into the skin of the character. While I enjoyed it, and would probably read more by Mr. Wolf, I would hope that the characters end up growing on me.

For fans of Law & Order, and fast paced plots and thrillers, grab this book. With summer coming up, it’ll be a great beach read. Older teens and adults for violence and adult situations.

About the Author

Dick Wolf, a two-time Emmy award-winning writer, producer, and creator, is the architect of one of the most successful brands in the history of television—NBC’s Law & Order, among the longest-running scripted shows.

Wolf has won numerous awards, including Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series (Law & Order) and Outstanding Made-for-Television Movie (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee); a Grammy; and an Edgar.

He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Intercept; The Execution is the second book in his Jeremy Fisk series. He lives in Southern California.

*Disclaimer* A special thanks goes out to Danielle at Harper Collins for a review copy of this book. It in no way influenced my review. You can discuss it here or join my facebook page and discuss it there.

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