Tankbread; by Paul Mannering: A Review

I am not as crazy a zombie fan as seems to be the fad these days, but I did like the idea of a REAL zombie apocalypse story. Tankbread, by Paul Mannering seemed to fall into that category, and being in the under $2 camp, I was all over it…

First person POV is lazy. That’s my opinion, and often I won’t get past the first couple of pages if I see this, though I have been getting better at giving books a try over this snub. I’ll allow the argument that it tends to work in the YA section, but beyond that, not so much. That arrogantly being stated, I did like this book. Gritty and no-nonsense, the main character is easy to like, the story well paced, with some great action sequences that made the book real for me. The ending was a bit rushed, though I’m beginning to think there’s some weird issue I have with endings, as I’m finding this a common occurrence in the indie novels I’ve been reading. (I’d love to hear other comments about that).

Cynthi Marie, Another Geek Twister

Cynthi, in 1982, holding her new Tauntaun

Cynthi Marie, called Cindy by most, didn’t realize, until she didn’t care anymore, that science fiction was for the weirdos. Weaned on Star Wars and Star Trek, she found an even greater love between the pages of Dune and Terry Brooks type epics. Asimov gave her a love of smart fiction, finding herself a fan of techno-thrillers, usually disappointed that there isn’t more techno with the thriller.

With the recent fail of Lucas and the Star Wars franchise, Cynthi has gone back to revisit other loved movies, looking at them with new eyes. Alien and Aliens remain at the top, as well as the Terminator franchise. Predator, more specifically the novels with Machiko Noguchi, have become newly re-found favorites as well. Newly able to watch Fringe, thanks to the wondrous Amazon Prime, has filled the void of television shows to love since Joss Whedon moved to film.

Nighthawk by Marie Francis

Nighthawk by Marie Francis looks like a normal book. It’s description sounds like a normal book, and it even smells like…Well, it actually smells like whatever your kindle smells like, since it’s only available as an e-book. But hidden inside the electronic pages of this self-published novel is a spectacular secret.

Demon Days: Angel of Light by Richard Finney and DL Snell

Demon Days Angel of Light is very similar to many other books published after Dan Brown reached popularity. If you’re a fan of smart-novels where you feel like you’re learning something under all that entertainment, this is a good fit for you.

Demon Days is the story of the Black Pages – a lost text written by a monk possessed by the Devil with information about the Angel of Light (a more politically correct and friendly term for Satan) in his return to the earthly plane. The story follows numerous people in their quest to either help or hinder the master of evil’s plans, particularly a group known as the Red Veil who’s goal is to help the Angel of Light, comprised naturally of some extremely rich and powerful men. On the other side, our main protagonist Jenna Grant, an archeologist and popular radio show host who is barely a step above the average Joe and therefore much more relatable.

The Undead Situation by Eloise J Knapp

The Undead Situation by Eloise J Knapp is very similar to the 1949 classic post-apocalyptic novel in that our main character is almost unaffected by the downfall of society. Cyrus V. Sinclair (the V stands for a Variety of Awesome) has been capable of surviving on his own long before the zombie apocalypse, and does just as well after the dead start to rise. He is so stagnant in his life that it takes a while in the book before you even realize this is a male character. This is before Gabe falls into his life while trying to escape from an oncoming horde, and naturally this throws a huge wrench in Cyrus’ bachelor life style. Despite being polar opposites, they decide to venture out together and see if they can find Frank, Cyrus’ only friend and a fellow survivalist who lives in a cabin somewhere in the wild lands of Washington.