Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London Graphic Novel Review by David Lowry

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Comics, Darkhorse, Graphic Novel, Horror, London, Mystery, Review, Sherlock Holmes, Vampires

Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London

Release Date: April 2014

Publisher: Darkhorse Comics

Story by: Sylvain Cordurie

Art by: Laci

Colors by: Axel Gonzabo

Cover by: Jean Sebastien Rossbach

ISDN: 9781616552664

MSRP: $17.99 Hardcover

“Sherlock Holmes died fighting Professor Moriarty in the Reichenbach Falls.

At least, that’s what the press claims.

However, Holmes is alive and well and taking advantage of his presumed death to travel the globe.

Unfortunately, Holmes’s plans are thwarted when a plague of vampirism haunts Britain.

This book collects Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London Volumes 1 and 2, originally created by French publisher Soleil.” – Darkhorse Comics

 

When I received this copy of “Sherlock Holmes and the Vampires of London” I was Ecstatic! The cover art was awesome and it was about two of my favorite things, Sherlock Holmes and Vampires. I couldn’t wait to dive into this!

Unfortunately, that is where my excitement ended. The story takes place a month after Sherlock Holmes supposed death in his battle with Professor Moriarty. Sherlock’s plan to stay hidden and out of site are ruined when on a trip with his brother Mycroft, they stumble on the presence of vampires. That is about as much of Sherlock’s character that comes through the book. I can’t even tell you the story really because nothing and I mean nothing stuck with me after reading it. I never, ever got the sense of Sherlock Holmes anywhere in this graphic novel, nor any real sense of mystery or crime. It was just Sherlock somehow battling vampires that should have had absolutely no trouble snuffing him out in a fight, but somehow always surviving and holding his own against supernatural, super powerful, blazingly fast creatures.

The cover art is awesome and it truly made me excited to read this but everything else feel completely flat for me. I tried telling myself that “it’s a graphic novel, it would be hard to translate mystery, details, emotion” but then I remembered reading DC Comic’s “Identity Crisis” and realized that was a load of crap. I know it’s unfair to compare the two as “Identity Crisis” had popular mystery author Brad Meltzer writing it right? Yeah….no. The standard was set that day and there is more than enough talent out there to create a great story in a graphic novel.

That being said, it wasn’t a horrible story, it just didn’t grip me for feel anything like Sherlock Holmes to me. It was easy enough to follow but I felt no sense of tension, stakes or compassion for any of the characters.

As far as the vampires go, it’s hard to know what to expect anymore as there are so many different versions these days. This was the more classic version which I personally prefer, but again I didn’t find anything that portrayed their dominance, calm confidence or sexuality. There was definitely a presence of their physical prowess but somehow that was lost on me as easily as Sherlock was able to defend himself. I know it, wouldn’t do to kill of the main character, but this would have a been a great opportunity to build around the experience and beguiling nature of a vampire that had lived so many years of experience. Another chance to showcase Sherlock’s intellect in a battle of wits over strength in something more suitable for this sort of story as apposed to trying to make it feel like an action movie.

Maybe I expected to much and hoped to have at least a gripping premise or some sort of interesting plot or mystery but I didn’t find it here. This may be a must have for serious Sherlock Holmes fans that have to collect everything about him, but if you are looking for a great story inside a graphic novel, I would have to say pass on this one.

That artwork is good, cover is great, story is lacking so I am giving it 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Dark Lover by J. R. Ward by David Lowry

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Book Reviews, Club Fantasci, Dark Lover, David Lowry, J.R. Ward, Paranormal Romance, The Black Dagger Brotherhood, The Lowry Agency, Vampires, Wrath

Dark Lover by J. R. Ward

“Dark Lover” is the first in the series of 11 books about The Black Dagger Brotherhood by author J. R. Ward.  In the Caldwell, NY of all places the last true pure-blood vampire “Wrath” the Blind King has encamped himself and his brotherhood of five other vampires in a half hearted attempt to preserve their race in a turf war with their slayers the “lessers”.  The Blind King wants nothing to do with his heritage and doesn’t see himself as strong enough to take up his mantle and lead his race in order to survive. His brotherhood stay faithful in hopes that one day The Blind King will realize his destiny and lead their race into the future so they can prosper again.

 

The Blind King finds himself suddenly thrust into protecting the daughter Beth Randall of a slain brotherhood member only to find out that Beth is soon to undergo the change and become a vampire herself. Being completely detached from his emotional senses in order to avoid his calling Wrath starts to come to the realization that he is falling in love and understands that he might have something to live for and protect. Fighting against his desires, instincts, calling and his enemies, Wrath finally is forced to grow “up” and face his destiny.

 

With a possible assassination attempt on his life from one of the brotherhood, an angry female vampire that feels tossed aside and an angry brother of the female vampire, Wrath’s battle come on all fronts. The Blind Kings life jumps from the comfortable solitude of hunt and kill to emotional turmoil, demands from a higher being and learning to trust those around him in a hurry.

 

Dark Lover is full of cliches such as the tall, muscle bound, sexy, incredibly attractive male character to the hot damsel in distress that he falls in love with and bodies and sex organs that are way beyond the norm and that feed the it’s only hot and sexy if beyond perfect stereotype. While the time frame in which all this happens is extraordinarily fast, the action, the passion and the characters work for the most part once you get past the cliches which are there because the author knows they work.

 

If you are going to read a book that has that standard comfortable format in which the reader knows basically what to expect, than this book is not a bad read at all. There are variations on the vampire theme so it’s not a traditional vampire but is that a good or bad thing? That is for you to decide as your read a story of love, lust, action and accepting your heritage.

You can find out more about J. R. Ward here: www.jrward.com

David Lowry

David Lowry was first attracted to the guitar at the young age of twelve. By the age of fifteen he had surpassed many teenagers’ wildest dreams as he performed regularly in bars as a part of various cover bands emulating rock icons such as Winger, Slaughter, Firehouse, Bone Angels, XYZ and Johnny Lang. During the early years of his career David also held the position of “guitar tech” for Shrapnel recording artist Todd Duane, David’s primary guitar instructor, as well as R&B Billboard chart toppers Mint Condition. Deftly skilled in all areas of music, from the technical to the creative, David has also worked with some of the Minneapolis Jazz legends on charting projects for the local jazz scene while developing a personal teaching curriculum for guitar theory. A graduate of Musicians Technical Training Institute in Minneapolis, MN in 1996, David has expanded his reach in the music industry to record music for HeadGames Publishing, now Activision Value on their best selling series of games for PC with Matt Fink (Dr. Fink) formerly of Prince and the Revolution.

David joined Difference United in 2006 and launched his new creative outlet immediately launched a tour through the Eastern European country of Romania. Since then the band has toured the United States, China and India.

In response to an overwhelming number of Nashville-based musicians seeking his management, in 2008 David founded The Lowry Agency. The Lowry Agency is a full service artist management/development and promotions agency. David and his dedicated, passionate team, work with musicians, actors, speakers, authors, voice over artists, entertainment companies, music coordination/supervision for film and TV. They strive to help their clients identify and fulfill their clients’ entertainment and business goals. The Lowry Agency’s talent roster has included such stars as Damon Johnson, Brother Cane, Juno Award winning songwriter & Candian Idol host Sass Jordan, TV personality Todd Newton, and up and coming rocker Goldy Locks.

In 2010 David launched the popular blog talk radio show “Live From Music City.” The show won the “Shorty” award for best radio show on twitter in its very first year of operation. The show focuses on how to make it in the music business with both music business professionals and successful artists who share their music business experience. David has interviewed guests such as The Oak Ridge Boys, King’s X, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Guess Who, Richie Kotzen, Tommy Emannuael, CJ Snare, Jesse James Dupree, Andy Timmons, Sass Jordan, Foghat, Warrant, Damon Johnson, Gunnar Nelson, Little River Band, Rik Emmett, Neil Zazza and Ambrosia.

David is also a staff writer for the “Rock School” column at Metalholic Magazine and a staff writer at Geek Eccentric for board game and RPG reviews.

You can find out more about David Lowry here: www.thelowryagency.com

Waylander by David Gemmell Review by Ciara Ballintyne

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Australia, Authors, Book Club, Book Publishers, Book Publishing, Book Review, Books, Ciara Ballintyne, Club Fantasci, Dark Fantasy, David Gemmell, David Lowry, Dionne Lister, dystopian, Epic, Epic Fantasy, Erotica, Fantasy, Horror, Indie authors, Lycans, Militaristic Science Fiction, Monsters, Nashville, Paranormal, Reading, Romance, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Steampunk, Supernatural, Supernatural Romance, The Lowry Agency, urban fantasy, Vampires, Waylander, Werewolves, Writers

Waylander by David Gemmell

The basic story idea of Waylander is like a picture of a Big Mac – perfect, juicy, mouth-watering, and oh so tempting. The book itself, unfortunately, is the sad, squashed reality handed to you in the drive thru.

Waylander is an infamous assassin, whose conscience is touched – literally – by the purity of the priest Dardalion, whom Waylander incidentally saves in pursuit of his stolen horse. Waylander’s walk towards the light would have been more compelling if it had been by conscious choice rather than appearing to be by ‘infection’ with Dardalion’s purity. At the same time, Dardalion is tainted by Waylander’s amorality and abandons his pacifist stance, taking up weapons in defence of the innocent – to the horror of most of his brother priests.

Waylander is approached by the old King of Drenai, and father of the king he murdered, to find and retrieve his fabled ‘Armour of Bronze’. The armour has no special powers, but could serve as a rallying point for Egel, the general leading the failing Drenai army against the invading Vagrian forces. Although there is no particular reason for him to agree, Waylander does so, even though he is assured of almost certain death in the attempt.

While David Gemmell clearly has some understanding of the elements of a good story, his execution into the written word is clumsy at best. There is rarely any sense of setting, and then when there is, it is insufficient for the reader to feel they are present. Many of the characters are poorly defined and indistinguishable from each other. Some minor characters seem to have received more development than they should, while some major characters languished from neglect. Dialogue was short and sharp, with no identifying characteristics to identify the speaker; it suffered from ‘talking heads syndrome’ and the characters were indistinguishable. Some characters act in ways which defy logic or reason, apparently behaving in that way solely because it suited the author. The romance is handled clumsily, and the characters fall into each other’s arms with a suddenness that is unconvincing. In fact, I was more convinced she’d happily cut his throat and never shed a tear.

Some of the most interesting parts of the book are Waylander’s explanation of the nature of fear, and his philosophical attitude towards it, and Dardalion’s exposition on why taking up arms in defence of the innocent is more of a sacrifice than merely allowing himself to be killed for the benefit of no one.

While I was not impressed with the book this time around, I did enjoy it a lot more when I was a teenager, and David Gemmell is amazingly popular, so his books do appeal to a certain audience. If you’re in your teens, or simply enjoy your fantasy straightforward, uncomplicated and limited to a single book, this may still be worth your time.

Ciara is a writer of high fantasy. A fantasy lover from her early years, this loyal, passionate, quirky, strong-willed, confident woman is bent on world domination and already has a couple of minions in the making. Born argumentative and recognising the long road to make money out of writing, Ciara wisely invested her natural inclinations in a career in law. Her favourite authors include Terry Goodkind, Terry Pratchett, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan and Brent Weeks. She is the official dragon expert of #stabbylove.

More information about Ciara Ballintyne can be found on www.ciaraballintyne.com

Waylander Book Review by Dionne Lister

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Australia, Authors, Book Club, Book Publishers, Book Publishing, Book Review, Books, Ciara Ballintyne, Club Fantasci, Dark Fantasy, David Gemmell, David Lowry, Dionne Lister, dystopian, Epic, Epic Fantasy, Erotica, Fantasy, Horror, Indie authors, Lycans, Militaristic Science Fiction, Monsters, Nashville, Paranormal, Reading, Romance, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Steampunk, Supernatural, Supernatural Romance, The Lowry Agency, urban fantasy, Vampires, Waylander, Werewolves, Wine, Writers

This book starts with action and keeps up the pace pretty much the whole way through. I did enjoy the book because I liked the characters, however there were many things that irked me, which was a surprise because for years I had seen David Gemmell’s books around and always though I should read this author’s work.

I found the dialogue unnatural. The characters spoke in a stilted, clipped fashion, which would normally indicate anger, or that the person wants the conversation to end as soon as possible.

The amount of typos was irritating. It is normal to find a handful of things that slip through the proofreading cracks, but this was ridiculous, especially for a traditionally published, supposedly big-name author. Several times whole words were incorrect—one sentence had “it it” instead of “to it” for instance. Quotation marks were frequently left out, either before or after speech, and a couple of times I came across whole sentences that just didn’t make sense.

I found the way Waylander was saved on two occasions to be too contrived and convenient and the way the book ended was disappointing—not only were there massive tragedies (overdone I feel) that didn’t make me shed one tear, but the ending was over within three or four pages. It was almost as if it was a screenplay, not a novel.

A positive thing was that I had a good sense of the personality of Waylander and I wanted his character to survive. I would say this is an okay read, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a book you need to rush out and read.

Dionne Lister

Dionne is an author and editor from Sydney who loves reading (obviously) and playing sport. She co-hosts a humorous podcast called Tweep Nation where she interviews authors and discusses all things Twitter. She loves writing and sharing her stories, but she wishes they wouldn’t keep her awake at night.

More information about Dionne Lister can be found here: www.dionnelisterwriter.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

June’s Book of the Month “Fool Moon” by Jim Butcher

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Australia, Authors, Book Club, Book Publishers, Book Publishing, Book Review, Books, Ciara Ballintyne, Club Fantasci, Dark Fantasy, David Lowry, Dionne Lister, dystopian, Epic, Epic Fantasy, Erotica, Fantasy, Fool Moon, Horror, Indie authors, Jim Butcher, Lycans, Militaristic Science Fiction, Monsters, Nashville, Paranormal, Reading, Romance, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Steampunk, Supernatural, Supernatural Romance, The Lowry Agency, urban fantasy, Vampires, Werewolves, Wine, Writers

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn’t been able to dredge up any kind of work — magical or mundane.

But just when it looks like he can’t afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.

A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses — and the first two don’t count…

You can find out more about Jim Butcher here: www.jim-butcher.com

Club Fantasci’s Book of the Month Hangout for “Waylander” by David Gemmell

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Australia, Authors, Book Club, Book Publishers, Book Publishing, Book Review, Books, Ciara Ballintyne, Club Fantasci, Dark Fantasy, David Gemmell, David Lowry, Dionne Lister, dystopian, Epic, Epic Fantasy, Erotica, Fantasy, Horror, Indie authors, Lycans, Militaristic Science Fiction, Monsters, Nashville, Paranormal, Reading, Romance, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Steampunk, Supernatural, Supernatural Romance, The Lowry Agency, urban fantasy, Vampires, Waylander, Werewolves, Wine, Writers

The Glass Demon by Helen Grant Review By Dionne Lister

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Australia, Authors, Book Club, Book Publishers, Book Publishing, Book Review, Books, Ciara Ballintyne, Club Fantasci, Dark Fantasy, David Gemmell, David Lowry, Dionne Lister, dystopian, Epic, Epic Fantasy, Erotica, Fantasy, Horror, Indie authors, Lycans, Militaristic Science Fiction, Monsters, Nashville, Paranormal, Reading, Romance, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Steampunk, Supernatural, Supernatural Romance, The Lowry Agency, urban fantasy, Vampires, Waylander, Werewolves, Wine, Writers

Wow what a book! Fast-paced narrative with a character I liked. Helen Grant writes with a style I enjoy reading. Her sense of humour shines through, with the main character, Lin, snarky and with little patience for stupidity or arseholes. The characterization rang true for me—a teen who is not afraid to stand up for what she thinks is right, but second-guesses herself at times.

 

The main story was mystery and horror combined, underscored with the secondary plot of Lin’s sister, Polly, having anorexia, and Lin’s fear for her. This adds tension to the main narrative. It was all woven together smoothly. Her similes were deftly drawn, one of my favourites being, “Reality seems to be unraveling as though it were a piece of knitting and someone had taken the end of the wool and pulled until the stiches slipped, one after another, dissolution running back and forth across the work, faster and faster…”.

 

The journey Lin undertakes reveals her strengths, while it exposes the weaknesses of those around her, including her father and mother. While I was not scared while reading this book, I did fear for the characters, although assumed Lin would come out of it alive since she was narrating it. If you want a book that is within the thriller/horror genre but has a literary slant, you should try this book. I couldn’t put it down. I’m off to find Helen Grants other books now. Bye.

Dionne Lister

Dionne is an author and editor from Sydney who loves reading (obviously) and playing sport. She co-hosts a humorous podcast called Tweep Nation where she interviews authors and discusses all things Twitter. She loves writing and sharing her stories, but she wishes they wouldn’t keep her awake at night.

 

More information about Dionne Lister can be found here: www.dionnelisterwriter.wordpress.com

May’s Book of the Month “Waylander” by David Gemmell

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Australia, Authors, Book Club, Book Publishers, Book Publishing, Book Review, Books, Ciara Ballintyne, Club Fantasci, Dark Fantasy, David Gemmell, David Lowry, Dionne Lister, dystopian, Epic, Epic Fantasy, Erotica, Fantasy, Horror, Indie authors, Lycans, Militaristic Science Fiction, Monsters, Nashville, Paranormal, Reading, Romance, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Steampunk, Supernatural, Supernatural Romance, The Lowry Agency, urban fantasy, Vampires, Waylander, Werewolves, Wine, Writers

Waylander

The Drenai King is dead – murdered by a ruthless assassin. Enemy troops swarm into Drenai lands. Their orders are simple – kill every man, woman and child. But there is hope. Stalked by men who act like beasts and beasts that walk like men, the warrior Waylander must journey into the shadow-haunted lands of the Nadir to find the legendary Armour of Bronze. With this he can turn the tide. But can he be trusted? For he is Waylander the Slayer. The traitor who killed the King…

The Glass Demon by Helen Grant Review by Ciara Ballintyne

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Australia, Authors, Book Club, Book Publishers, Book Publishing, Book Review, Books, Ciara Ballintyne, Club Fantasci, Dark Fantasy, David Lowry, Dionne Lister, dystopian, Epic, Epic Fantasy, Erotica, Fantasy, Helen Grant, Horror, Indie authors, Lycans, Militaristic Science Fiction, Monsters, Nashville, Paranormal, Reading, Romance, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Steampunk, Supernatural, Supernatural Romance, The Glass Demon, The Lowry Agency, urban fantasy, Vampires, Werewolves, Wine, Writers

Lin is dragged from England to backwater Germany by her father, Dr Oliver Fox, obsessed with the discovery of the famed Allerheiligen glass, a set of stained glass windows missing for hundreds of years, perhaps no longer even in existence.

Lin thinks her biggest problems are completing her final exams in a foreign country and serving as interpreter for her father as he chases the fabulous glass, but these are the least of her worries. For the glass is rumoured to be haunted by the demon Bonschariant, and murder and woe have followed in its wake ever since its creation. No sooner has the family – Lin, her elder sister Polly, younger brother Ru, and her parents – arrived in Germany than Lin has stumbled over a corpse.

It is the first of many, as her father’s contact in Germany, a man who insisted her knew where to find the Allerheiligen glass, is dead – supposedly drowned in his bath. But his corpse, like the corpse in the apple orchard, was surrounded by fragments of shattered glass. Is there some connection between these deaths, and other events heralded by broken glass, and the Glass Demon? Is Bonschariant intent on murdering everyone who crosses paths with his glass? Or is it just the locals, intent on deterring outsiders from finding the famed stained windows? From the very start, Lin is warned by Michel, a boy who lives on a nearby farm, that her father will never find the glass without help.

The story is told from Lin’s point of view, and the author does an excellent job of capturing the essence of a wilful teenager. That said, that very fact drove me nuts sometimes, as the childish foolishness and wilful blindness of said teenager left me furious and wanting to smack her across the head. Teenagers may more readily relate to Lin than older adults.

The story is solid, with her enough mystery, conflict and intrigue to draw the reader onwards. While I wouldn’t say I was desperate to finish the story, I certainly felt compelled to read on. The opening was a little slow, and I was perhaps a quarter of the way through before I felt the story had really captured me.

I was confused for much of the book about the nature of the relationship with Tuesday. Initially I thought she was a second wife, and Lin and Polly’s stepmother, which explained why a couple with two teenage daughters on the brink of their twenties had an eighteen month old son, as well as Tuesday’s disinterest in the girls, and Lin’s attitude to her. When I realised she was their real mother, that left too many unanswered questions. Why did they have such a large gap between their elder and younger children? Especially since Tuesday was so disinterested in actually being a mother? The lack of explanation is unimportant to the overall story, but it bothered me.

Well handled was the relationship between Lin and Michel. While ordinarily a relationship between them might seem inevitable, with him the obvious love interest, I found the author did an excellent job of convincing me that there was no way Lin would ever entertain such a notion, so that when a relationship did actually start to blossom, I found myself a bit surprised.

Having read this for Club Fantasci, I expected it to be speculative fiction, but I’d classify it as more crime/thriller/suspense in the vein of The Da Vinci Code. That said, if you don’t mind the genre, it’s well worth the read.

Ciara is a writer of high fantasy. A fantasy lover from her early years, this loyal, passionate, quirky, strong-willed, confident woman is bent on world domination and already has a couple of minions in the making. Born argumentative and recognising the long road to make money out of writing, Ciara wisely invested her natural inclinations in a career in law. Her favourite authors include Terry Goodkind, Terry Pratchett, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan and Brent Weeks. She is the official dragon expert of #stabbylove.

More information about Ciara Ballintyne can be found on www.ciaraballintyne.com

 

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card Review by Dionne Lister

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Australia, Authors, Book Club, Book Publishers, Book Publishing, Book Review, Books, Cabin Goddess, Ciara Ballintyne, Club Fantasci, Dark Fantasy, David Lowry, Dionne Lister, dystopian, Ender's Game, Epic, Epic Fantasy, Erotica, Fantasy, Gothic, High Fantasy, Horror, Indie authors, Kriss Morton, Lycans, Militaristic Science Fiction, Nashville, Orson Scott Card, Paranormal, Reading, Romance, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Social Media, Space Opera, Steampunk, Supernatural, Supernatural Romance, The Lowry Agency, Twitter, urban fantasy, Vampires, Werewolves, Writers

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed reading this book. It follows the life of Ender, a child who lives in a human society that has population controls. Even though having three children is an embarrassment, his parents were asked to conceive him because the government thought he might have the potential to benefit humanity. The world is under threat from an alien race: the buggers.  The people around him use Ender, but he is aware of this, at least. I won’t go into details about the plot, as I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll move on to what I liked about the book.

Ender’s character was likeable and you wanted him to succeed. Some of the things he experienced were made more intense because of his age, and the author does a good job of reminding you at important times—he makes the reader vulnerable by showing us Ender’s vulnerability. The enclosed living arrangements throughout most of the story focus and magnify the intensity of many situations—Ender is working towards physical freedom as well as mental; the confines of his living arrangements work to parallel those other restraints.

The scenes didn’t transition smoothly for me but I wonder if the fragmented style is supposed to enhance the feeling of uncertainty and the feeling of disharmony between countries and people on Earth. The pace was generally fast, although there were a couple of spots I felt slowed unnecessarily. I liked the overall statement made about empathy and trying to create a world where people live in harmony, to the best of their capability, with others and nature. I liked how the author looked at the conflict from both the human and bugger (alien) point of view. This is a book that I highly recommend.

Dionne Lister

Dionne is an author and editor from Sydney who      loves reading (obviously) and playing sport. She co-hosts a humorous podcast called Tweep Nation where she interviews authors and discusses all things Twitter. She loves writing and sharing her stories, but she wishes they wouldn’t keep her awake at night.

More information about Dionne Lister can be found here: www.dionnelisterwriter.wordpress.com