The Lazarus Curse by Darren Craske

Circus conjurer Cornelius Quaint is having a rough go of it.

Having escaped Egypt with his companion Madame Destine, he is forever changed and not just because of his immortality. He knows that an attempt on the life if Queen Victoria will be made and that all of humanity is at risk.

Cho-Zen Li, a man that is more than he seems, has unleashed the Eleventh Plague and Quaint must first save the Queen and then the world. With a few of his trusted circus family in tow, Quaint must travel from his beloved London to China and take care of Cho-Zen Li personally if he has any hope of saving the world.

Madame Destine, a true phsycic gifted with visions, tells Quaint that he must not go, that he will face more than danger there. “The immortal man meets the eternal man at the end of his life.” She tells him. She does not know if that means even Quaint’s immortality will keep him alive.

After being chosen by Queen Victoria to do away with Cho-Zen Li, however, Quaint has no choice. With a few of his circus family in tow, Quaint sets off towards China, towards his destiny, towards a future that could bring about the end of the world or just the end of his life.

All in a days work for a master conjurer…

My meagre plot summary doesn’t even come close to scratching the surface of what happens in this novel. Out of the entire Cornelius Quaint Series, The Lazarus Curse is by far the most adventurous with more twists and hairpin plot turns than you can count. The book is non-stop action from the first page and the story doesn’t let you go until the (very shocking) ending.

To say I was salivating for this book is an understatement. When I was finally able to read it, it blew all of my high expectations away, every single one of them. Craske’s most amazing ability is creating characters that should be caricatures and stereotypes, but aren’t. He writes them so well that you actually care for them, hope for them, worry right along with them.

I haven’t been this emotionally involved in a series of books since Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. Are The Cornelius Quaint Chronicles better? You bet your last farthing. Not only are they told in the style of old Victorian penny dreadfuls, but they are adventure novels of the highest calibre.

Just when you think the story is going one way, it takes you in a different and altogether surprising direction. Craske not only creates amazing characters that you grow to love, he pens a cracking good story that will have you clutching the book and turning the pages rapidly (or in my case, holding onto my iPad for dear life and flicking my finger across the screen in rapid motions).

For those of you who have not read the previous Cornelius Quaint novels (A Quaint Christmas, The Equivoque Principle and The Eleventh Plague, respectively) never fear. Craske fills you in on what you need to know so you can throw yourself headlong into the adventure contained The Lazarus Curse. After reading The Lazarus Curse, however, you will want to, no, need to read the other books in the series.

Darren Craske has not only written a tale of magic, adventure, destiny and fate. He has written a novel that will live beyond time itself and it’s one of the best books I have ever read and indeed its my favourite book of 2012 thus far. I can’t wait to see how the series draws to a close in the Rolmulus Equation.

I for one will be waiting with bated breath to find out how Cornelius Quaint’s destiny unfolds…

Tags: Action, Adventure, Mystery, Victorian

The Painted Darkness By Brian James Freeman

Henry, like all of us, carries his past with him. But Henry’s past has teeth and have drawn blood already. It will draw blood again.

 

When Henry was a child, something happened in the words behind his home. Something so awful, so horrible, that he shut the event inside of himself, never to see the light of day again. The only way he lets the horrible memory out is to paint.

 

But Henry is not just painting. He is painting against the darkness.

 

Twenty years have passed since that horrible event and Henry still paints. He spends more and more time in front of his easel, letting the art of painting take him away to a place that only Henry knows.

 

But the darkness waits for no one. During a winter storm, Henry goes down to the cellar in his old stone farm house to fill the steam boiler. As he descends into the cellar, Henry has no idea that he is about to come face to face with the darkness he has been carrying with him for the past twenty years.

 

And the darkness is hungry…

 

There are not enough words to describe how truly good The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman is. Excellent, stupendous, enthralling? Not good enough. Amazing, incredible, thrilling? Not even close. Nothing can really describe The Painted Darkness, you have to read and experience it for yourself.

 

When I first got my advance readers copy of the novel, I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting very much. The book seemed so slim, too slim, really, to be called a novel. But I was wrong, so wonderfully wrong.

 

It was as I was reading the superb introduction by Brian Keene that I realized I might be in for a treat. Keene called Freeman an artist. And there is no truer word to describe Freeman. I would even go so far as to call him a master of his art.

 

Though The Painted Darkness is only 179 pages or so, the beauty of the words make the novel feel twice as thick. The power behind the words, their seemingly simple prose, pull the reader in to the ride of a lifetime and leave the reader wanting more.

 

Everything about this book is spectacular. The wonderful introduction by Brian Keene and the fabulously creepy illustrations by Jill Bauman really help to capture the tone of the novel, the gorgeous cover that pull you into the story.

 

But it is the novel itself, Henry’s story, that really packs a punch. Alternating between the present and the event that happened twenty years ago, Freeman has crafted a Lovecraftian tale of horror that is never what we think it will be and leaves us wanting so much more.

 

The Painted Darkness goes beyond being just a good book. It is a great book, a fantastic book, meant to be devoured and then read again so one can savour it and every well placed, beautiful word. Brian James Freeman has written what is most likely the best book of the year.

 

The Painted Darkness is a novel that captures first the mind, then the heart and taps into our worst fears with gusto. It’s an incredibly well written novel that anyone and everyone should read and experience.

 

And remember, don’t just paint. Paint against the darkness…

 

Player One, What Is to Become of Us by Douglas Coupland

 

There is usually one thing I can always count on when I pick up a new novel by Canadian author Douglas Coupland. And it is this: I never know what I’m going to experience, but there will be some things that will be familiar.

 

Player One, like most of Coupland’s work, concerns itself with the idea of stories. But this time there is a twist. Instead of being concerned with telling stories this time around, Coupland turns the focus more internally.

 

This time, Coupland wonders what it would be like if our lives became a story; what would happen if our lives became a series of instances in a plot. A heady concept for a novel, to be sure, and one that Coupland pulls off incredibly well.

 

The novel is divided into five chapters with each chapter broken down into five parts. Each of these five parts is told by a different person. Coupland has used the rotating narrative before, but never so effectively. In Player One, we meet the following:

 

Karen: A single mother looking for another chance at love (or at least lust) who is meeting an internet hook-up in a Toronto air port bar.

 

Rick: A down on his luck bar tender in the Toronto air port bar who has been trying to turn his life around (thanks to the promises of late night infomercials).

 

Luke: A middle aged pastor who has lost his faith completely. He is also a liar, a bit of a drunk and a thief.

 

Rachel: A cool blond number with problems of her own. After over hearing her father say that she isn’t human, Rachel has come to this air port bar in hopes of meeting a man who will impregnate her.

 

Player One: Little is known about Player One, but Player One knows everything…

 

The five people are thrown together when a global disaster brings the world crashing to a halt. Explosions boom through the air, people are being shot and chemical clouds are traveling through the sky.

 

Not knowing what else to do, the five strangers sit in the air port bar, hoping for safety and for some sort of salvation. But salvation, when it comes, will take one of them away forever…

 

My meagre plot summary doesn’t even come close to covering what happens in Player One. The novel ruminates on subjects such as religion, DNA, the art of the story, faith, pregnancy and death and that’s just within the books first pages.

 

What Coupland does so well is presents us with ideas that make us think in the form of a story. A few authors have tried this with dismal results, but for Coupland, the process seems to be natural. Instead of coming off as clunky, Player One instead is a lightning fast read where the pages turn themselves and you can’t wait to find out what happens.

 

Player One, What Is to Become of Us, a novel in five hours, is without a doubt one of the neatest, most inventive novels I have read in years. Perhaps one of the best books of the year. Don’t miss this book and get yourself a copy.

 

You won’t want to miss a word.

Skeleton Creek: The Crossbones Patrick Carman

 

 

I have just enjoyed a totally awesome weekend and this is due entirely in part to Skeleton Creek: The Crossbones by Patrick Carman. It’s the third novel in his Skeleton Creek series of books.

The first two novels in the series, Skeleton Creek and Ghost in the Machine respectively, changed the way that a story could be told. Indeed, it was a story that went beyond the printed pages of a book.

With a story that encompassed both the written (you get to read Ryan’s journal) and the visual (you get to watch Sarah’s video’s online at www.sarahfincher.com) Carman has created a story and a world that does more than live in our imaginations.

It is the rare cross breed of a novel with multi-media elements that actually works. Both the novel and the multi-media content are top notch. You’ve got your thrilling, mysterious and truly, truly creepy storyline mixed with some incredibly produced videos that only add to the fright.

The same is true of the third novel in the series, Skeleton Creek: The Crossbones. I was a little worried and anxious to see how Carman would change it up a little bit.

The formula for the first two novels was pretty simple: twenty five pages of Ryan’s journal and then a password that would reveal a video at www.sarahfincher.com where you could watch videos that would reveal more of the story.

The same is true…and not so true here. But you know what? It still works. And it pays off in a big way.

For Skeleton Creek and Ghost in the Machine, I was left wanting more video to watch, more to interact with. In terms of looking at the Skeleton Creek Series, as an ARG (or Alternate Reality Game) it was kind of lacking.

Unlike another series (such as the Cathy Series by by Sean Stewart, Jordan Weisman illustrated by Cathy Brigg-which, on a side note, totally rocked) the multi-media portion of Skeleton Creek was pretty lacking.

There is a fan site which is kind of fun, but I always found that I wanted more videos to flesh out the story. Thankfully Carman has heeded my call (and probably lots of others too. I can’t be the only 32 year old that’s reading this series right?) and now there is tons to feast the eyes on.

Inside Ryan’s journal, you get tons of illustrations that highlight the parts of the story and its clues that Ryan and Sarah are working on. And the videos are top notch. More often then not, you get three videos at a time, which is totally cool.

The videos are expertly done. Not only do the ones made to look older genuinely creep you out, the other story central video is very much like the beautifully done Blair Witch Project, which means it’s awesome. The documentary portions actually give you quite a bit of a history lesson, which is actually a very neat angle to the novel.

Thankfully, the real power of Skeleton Creek: The Crossbones is found in the words of the novel themselves. The story rocks along at an incredible pace and you’ll finish it in no time. I myself finished it less than two days.

Skeleton Creek: The Crossbones is expertly done and wonderfully executed in every way. It leaves me thirsting for more. Thankfully I won’t have to be thirsty for very long. The forth (and final?) book in the Skeleton Creek series, titled The Raven, comes out in the spring of 2011 according to Patrick Carman’s website (which has lots of other neat videos to watch too, that give you a look behind the series itself). You can find it at www.patrickcarman.com

You’ll notice that, if you read through this review, that I haven’t actually told you anything of the story of Skeleton Creek: The Crossbones. In fact, I haven’t revealed the plot points of the previous two books either. So what does that tell you?

You’ll have to go read the books and watch the videos to uncover the mystery.

Wetware: On the Digital Front With Stephen King by Kevin Quigley

 

Everyone knows I love Stephen King.

 

He has a way of writing that reaches into my subconscious that triggers so many different reactions. He is the only author I can think of that will have me gripping the book with fright on one page and laughing out loud another and all within the same book.

 

Stephen King is known for telling a good scary tale; but there’s a side of King that a lot of fans don’t think about. Unlike a lot of authors, King constantly embraces new and digital media to either reach out to fans or enhance our reading experience.

 

Knowing quite a bit about King and his interest in new media and the digital world, I had high hopes (and even higher expectations) for Wetware: On the Digital Front with Stephen King.

 

It’s a chapbook that has been beautifully produced by the lovely people at Cemetery Dance. You can get your copy here: http://www.cemeterydance.com/sh/quigley01.html

 

Even more than that, it was written by the uber talented Kevin Quigley, web master of Charnel House, my favourite Stephen King info site. You can find Charnel House here: http://charnelhouse.tripod.com/

 

Being that Wetware: On the Digital Front with Stephen King was published by Cemetery Dance and written by Quigley, my expectations for this chapbook were quite high indeed. Thankfully, they were all blown away.

 

Giving us a brief, but incredibly thorough, romp through King’s digital exploits. With incredible research and superb writing, Quigley takes a look at a side of Stephen King that no one has really looked at before.  I mean, we all remember the sensational eBook Riding the Bullet and the equally cool (but ultimate failure of) The Plant.

 

But does anyone remember The Mist Text Adventure Game? Or Stephen King’s F13? Nope, didn’t think so. That was all before my time and learning about them, and many other King web exploits, was a sheer delight and an absolute pleasure.

 

Quigley writes with a graceful pen; though non-fiction, Wetware reads well and swiftly. The only downside to the book is actually a plus: it’s just too darn short. Yes, I know it’s a chapbook, but Quigley writes so well, and looks at an area of King that no one else has really touched, that I would gladly have read a book twice or even three times as long.

 

Kevin Quigley left me wanting more. And that, they say, is the mark of a true writer.

 

Shakespeare Undead by Lori Handeland

 

There have been rumours surrounding Shakespeare for decades.

Most feel that he could not possibly have written all the works he penned. Some even go so far as to saying he stole works and put his name to them. Others say that William Shakespeare was more than one man.

Even more mysterious are Shakespeare’s Sonnets. The one hundred and fifty four poems, each composed of fourteen lines a piece, all written to a mysterious Dark Lady; a woman with dark hair and a husband. Who was the mysterious Dark Lady? How did Shakespeare write all that he wrote.

No one really knows the truth; until now.

Posing as a member of human society in the 1500’s, Shakespeare is hiding a secret that would be devastating should it get out: he is actually a vampire. A member of the undead, he is also capable of raising zombie armies.

William Shakespeare is a vampire necromancer.

Though he has not raised armies of the dead for some time (though he did raise undead armies for Caesar and for Cleopatra), a barrage of zombie attacks are threatening the safety of London and his carefully kept secrets.

All of his secrets are in danger of escaping him when he meets Katherine Dymond. Posing as a boy, Katherine stalks the streets of London as a Chasseur, a slayer or hunter of zombies. After accidentally killing William Shakespeare in the dark streets of London, Katherine flees, hoping not to be haunted by what she has done. Though she has killed zombies, she has never taken another human’s life.

But William Shakespeare isn’t human. Using her scent to track Katherine down, William pledges to love and protect Katherine with the rest of his life; considering he’s already dead, it’ll be a hard promise to keep.

Working together, the two lovers must find out who is raising the army of zombies, find out what they plan to do and protect the Queen of England. All in a days work for your typical necromancer vampire playwright and his lover…

I was a little sceptical of this book at first. I’m a huge fan of the literary mashups by Quirk Books. However, any other mashup I’ve read (with a couple of exceptions) has been lacklustre by comparison and is usually riding on the success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, published by Quirk Books in 2009.

Thankfully, that is not the case with Shakespeare Undead by Lori Handeland.

The novel is a sheer delight from start to finish. And it is far from being a mashup. Sure, it takes William Shakespeare and pairs his story with vampires and zombies, but the mashup stops there. Thankfully, Handeland tells her own tale with laugh out loud results.

What I loved about this book, aside from the madcap storyline, was the characters. You really feel for Katherine and for William Shakespeare. He’s suffering from writers block and his words are freed by Katherine’s love for him. The comedy is sheer hilarity and the romance just sizzles off of the page.

Handeland has also done her homework. The novel reads like a farce of one of Shakespeare’s own plays. Women dressing as men, witches, vampires, ghosts, doomed love, a crazy nursemaid and more. Handeland has borrowed freely from Shakespeare’s work and made his story elements her own.

This novel is for anyone who hated reading Shakespeare in high school, or for anyone who hasn’t even read Shakespeare. Far from being a literary mashup, Shakespeare Undead is something altogether more.

An absolute madcap delight, this is one novel you won’t want to miss.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

 

Bree Tanner is living on borrowed time.

 

As a fledgling vampire, she knows that her old life is lost to her. Unfortunately, her new life isn’t what she thought it would be. She was promised eternal life, for a price. Now she feels that she’s paid that price many times over.

 

Keeping to herself is the only way to survive. Newborn vampires are an unstable lot; there are constant battles for supremacy and domination. The only way to keep on living is to stay hidden, stay unnoticed and to stay quiet.

 

That all changes when Bree meets Diego.

 

Diego is a newly turned vampire, just like her. And like Bree, he knows that there has to be more to their new life than constant fighting and bickering and bloodshed. He also knows a few things that Bree doesn’t.

 

For instance: why were they created? And who is their creator, this mysterious woman they only know as her? Diego confirms Bree’s fears: that they have been created for a dark purpose.

 

Bree and Diego plan to leave their conclave together, but it is too late. They are pushed into battle, a battle that they can’t win, and neither of them will survive…

 

For those of you familiar with the incredible Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, you might remember Bree Tanner. She made an altogether brief appearance in Eclipse, the third novel in the series. Introduced and killed off in about a page and a half, Bree had a very short life.

 

But, as Stephenie Meyer explains in her wonderful introduction to this book, the voice of Bree wouldn’t let go. So, while editing Eclipse, she began to write what she thought of as a short story about Bree Tanner and what her life would have been like as a newborn vampire.

 

The result is The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner and it’s a stellar piece of writing. It’s refreshing to see the Twilight Saga from another point of view. It was a very satisfying experience to live the Twilight Saga through someone else’s eyes and I hope this means that Meyer will work on Midnight Sun and release that sooner rather than later.

 

There are a few things that make The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner unique from the other novels in The Twilight Saga. First and foremost, the novella gives us a different view from a world we already knew.

 

As well, it touches on a theme in The Twilight Saga that was never fully explored; that of being a newborn vampire. Though one of the characters does in fact become a newborn vampire (I won’t tell you which one in case there is one person left on the planet who hasn’t read Breaking Dawn) but they are unlike most newborns.

 

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a little darker fare than we’re used to with The Twilight Saga. There is no each shattering love here; only a girl trying to survive until the next day.

 

The only things that left me wanting were the fact that The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner was so short. Stephenie Meyer could have easily added another hundred pages to this story to turn it from a novella into a novel. I think it would have benefited from a little more room to manoeuvre. Just as the story got pulse pounding exciting, it ended.

 

As well, it lacked something. I think that The Twilight Saga had something that Bree Tanner didn’t. There wasn’t the same spark, the same intensity to the writing that The Twilight Saga had. That might have a lot to do with Bella and Edward, or with Meyer finding her footing with another character in a smaller space to play. Either way, the novella left me wanting.

 

That’s not to say that The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a bad book. Far from it in fact. It’s fast, frantic and fantastic.

 

And leaves you wanting more.