The Very Best of Tad Williams
I have been a fan of Tad Williams for along time and enjoyed reading this collection of his short stories. While some of them were not new to me the majority of them were. The stories included cover all his genres of writing from Fantasy and Horror to Science Fiction. It was nice to return to the world of Otherland. This collection makes me want to revisit his other novels.
Dead Set
Another excellent dark book with a new and strong heroine. The characters quickly drag you into their world.
I Am the Mission (The Unknown Assassin)
This book picks up immediately from the end of book one and you are taken straight into the action. You are plunged into the new mission and the new dangers instantly connecting with Ben now Daniel again. Will his actions in New York have repercussion now that he has been given a new mission. What will Father and Mother do, will they call in Mike? The book doesn't hesitate answering your questions from the end of the first book and leaves you hanging waiting for Volume 3 to arrive preferable like now! It is a fast paced enjoyable read, strong characters and well written story. The book will leave you wanting to find out what happens from beginning to end.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley.
 - Allen Zadoff)
The Strain, Book One
This is a very well done conversion of the books by Guillermo del Toro's. I have read and enjoyed the trilogy before reading this graphic novel. This edition of the book does not skip out on any of the details in the books.After a plane lands and everybody onboard is dead the CDC are called in to investigate. The situation quickly escalates and vampires begin to cause havoc in the city. This graphic novel collection shows you the true horror of a city in panic while the hord gets stronger.
A very well told story and I look foward to reading the rest of this set and the TV series to come.
I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley.
Cibola Burn
A fantastic conclusion to the story of HOlden and his Crew or is it. The book is a great read and the tension doesn't really let up. Some of the characters from towards the beginning of this journey appear again and we get to catch up with them. The enemies are known now but the dangers are new. Again they have to tread carefully and keep the peace but you know Amos is itching to start or end something :)I hope we find out soon whether or not there is going to be another book in the series. I could not put this book down and before I knew it was over.
Java 8 Pocket Guide
As a beginner to Java this book is a handy guide to have. It is nice not to have to rely totally on Google for reference questions.
We3
A fantastic story of the bravery of animals, non-stop and sad at the same time. A tale of the resilience of spirit and love.
The Man with the Compound Eyes: A Novel
A beautifully written story about the sea, life and the environment. I look forward to more translations of his writting. It is a story of two different people dealing with their own losses and loves in our changing world. His descriptions of Atile'i's island bring the place to life for everyone who lives there. A Wonderfully written novel that makes it hard to step away from even after you have you read the last page.
The Chimera Vector
I really enjoyed this book,the story was unique and the characters are well developed. It was recommended to me as I had enjoyed a similar book by Daniel Suarez[b:Kill Decision|18071393|Kill Decision|Daniel Suarez|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371108220s/18071393.jpg|19106895]. The story has some similar touches to Influx like the genetic engineering and the despotic leader trying to rule everyone, but the stories approach things from different angles. This story is alot more millitaristic and relies on present day tech for the most part, this makes it more believe-able and less of the fantastic tech to drive the story. It was an exciting and hard to put down book.
I would also recommend this to anyone who enjoyed [b:Brilliance|17171909|Brilliance|Marcus Sakey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372505433s/17171909.jpg|23599367] by Marcus Sarkey.
Boy Nobody
When I first started reading I thought wow the chapters are short how am I supposed to get to know anybody. However before I knew it I was half way through and couldn't put it down. He does a great job of introducing the characters building their world and history. The story is fast paced and well planned, no gimmicks to advance the story. A fun book that I'm sure my son will love as well. He is hard to get started reading as he is very picky about what he thinks he will enjoy. But if a book has a strong hero, a bit of an outsider or dangerous he loves them. This book reminds me of the I am number 4 series. I look forward to the next book in the series.
The Word Exchange: A Novel
I was given this book through NetGalley and loved the idea of the story but it turned into a chore to read. If you enjoy a more leisurely, ease into the story book then you will enjoy this. The main ideas of the book revolves around a virus spread through the use of meme devices which eradicated people ability to communicate and the disappearance of the main characters father, who at the time was working on the last published dictionary.While the idea was wonderful, a sinister corporation out to remake language and charge people to talk was great, the timeline was not well thought out. The dates and world building needed work, the story took forever to get going I was 50% through before things really started to happen and even then slowly. The characters were well developed but would then do stupid things totally against the grain of what they were like just to advance the story. The book does a great job of introducing you to the characters and filling every part of their day
I wish her luck with her next books but this one needed a good editor to read it through before publishing. If the pace was improved I would have enjoyed the book alot more, but again this is just my opinion. It was like a coffee maker, first the water is heated and then it starts to drip through the filter before becoming a thin stream filling your mug, I prefer a quick boil in the kettle and then pouring it to fill my mug.
The Expats: A Novel
Enjoyable but the timeline was a real mess hoping all over the place constantly.
One Second After
Poorly written military lecture, disappointing as it could have been so much better. The premise is great but it reads like a lecture interspersed with moments describing the scene before the lecture begins.
