Month: May 2018

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Five-Star Books, Horror, LGBT+, Science Fiction17 Comments

Into the Drowning Deep Cover

Publisher: Orbit

Publication Date – 14 November 2017

Amazon

From one of the brightest stars in horror and science fiction, comes a heart pounding and imaginative story about terrifying creatures in the deep.

Mermaids have always been the stuff of legends, whether they feature in sailors’ cautionary tales or children’s stories. Seven years ago, when Imagine Entertainment sent a mockumentary team out to the Mariana Trench about the Atargatis they found just how real mermaids were, but with no survivors and only unbelievable leaked video footage to tell their story, the incident is either considered a tragic accident at sea or derided as a hoax.

Now, Imagine Entertainment are planning a second expedition to the Mariana Trench to find incontrovertible proof of mermaids and show the world what happened to the crew of the Atargatis. Larger and better prepared, the second expedition sets out onboard the giant pleasure cruiser Melusine, hosting state-of-art research facilities and filled with the leading experts in a range of marine sciences.

Also onboard are Victoria Stewart, whose beloved sister died upon the Atargatis, and the world’s leading expert on mermaids, Dr Jillian Toth, who is still haunted by her decision not to accompany the original expedition.

Arriving at the Mariana Trench, it doesn’t take long for the mermaids to appear. But these mermaids are not the stuff of children’s stories. They are real, they are dangerous and they are very, very hungry.

Grant has impressive science fiction and horror credentials, including her zombie thriller series Newsflesh and her ‘science-gone-wrong’ inspired Parasitology series. Drowning in the Deep is another outstanding story of horror from Grant and is a worthy sequel to her exciting 2015 novella, Rolling in the Deep.

By far one of the best things about Drowning in the Deep is how Grant turns mermaids, long associated with fairy tales and Disney movies, into credible monsters for her book. Using a combination of suspenseful and descriptive writing, bestowing the creatures with several creepy abilities and loading the book with a range of scientific explanations to make them as plausible as possible, Grant has succeeded in creating scary mermaids.

An interesting feature of the book is the manner in which Grant introduces the mermaids to the story. Rather than taking the traditional path and gradually revealing the monsters over the course of the first half of the book, Grant discloses the mermaids in all their gory glory within the first few pages of the book. All the characters know what they will be up against well in advance; the thrills come in discovering whether that is enough to ensure their survival.

Grant also takes time to introduce all the key characters and explain their backgrounds and motivations. This adds to the story and creates a range of characters whose fates readers will be deeply concerned for. In addition, she makes good use of multiple viewpoints to tell the story. Chapters are presented from the perspectives of each of the main characters, some of the minor characters, the mermaids themselves and even a pod of dolphins. This results in an intricate tapestry of a story and allows for a wide variety of scenes and a deeper understanding of the mystery and horror that is the mermaid.

Grant adds several fun additions to the front of each chapter, such as biography extracts, descriptions of videos, blog posts, articles from a cryptozoology periodical and a number of sections of a lecture from one of the characters, Dr Toth. This is a great way to add a lot of additional background without disturbing the flow and suspense of the overall story. Grant also includes quotes from the characters at the front of the chapters. These quotes help set the tone for the overall book and for the individual chapters. An example of this can be seen in a quote set up at the beginning of the book: “Did you really think we were the apex predators of the world?” Attributed to the story’s mermaid expert, Dr Toth, this is a great way to draw in the reader’s initial interest while at the same time setting a tone of dread as the ship full of overconfident scientists drifts closer to the trench.

Overall, Into the Drowning Deep is an enthralling read and one of the standout books so far in 2018. It is guaranteed to make you think twice about swimming in the ocean.

My Rating:

Five Stars

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Cradle by James Jackson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction1 Comment

Cradle Cover

Publisher: Zaffre

Australian Publication Date – 1 January 2018

World Publication Date – 2 November 2017

Amazon     Book Depository

Death, despair and political espionage!  Welcome to the dawn of America in Cradle, the latest book from historical fiction veteran James Jackson.

1607 AD. Jamestown, on the shore of Virginia, is England’s first colony in the New World.  Life is a dangerous struggle for survival, with the settlers forced to endure starvation, disease and relentless attacks from the natives.  Worse, Jamestown has the ire of its namesake, King James of England, who is violently opposed to the settlement.

However, while Jamestown suffers from the king’s displeasure, Prince Henry supports the mission and views Jamestown as a symbol of England’s ambition and colonial intent.  Resolute that Jamestown must succeed, the young prince instructs intelligencer Christian Hardy to travel to Virginia and ensure its survival against any threats.  In response, the king instructs his chief advisor, Hardy’s former employer, the spymaster Robert Cecil, to sabotage the colony.

Hardy finds Jamestown near starvation and constantly under attack by warriors of the Powhaten nation.  The town survives only through the actions of a brave few, including the legendary John Smith, while split loyalties, incompetence and dissent ensure that the colony moves closer to destruction.  As Hardy works to save the town, a far more insidious threat approaches: his old foe, the deadly renegade Realm.

This is the ninth book from Jackson and his third to feature the character of Christian Hardy as its protagonist.  A fourth book, Blood Rock, featured the Hardy’s father, also named Christian Hardy, as its protagonist.  Cradle is a direct sequel to Jackson’s previous novel, the action-packed Treason, which featured a captivating account of the Gunpowder Plot.

Jackson continues his examinations of some of the more interesting and unique areas of history, this time looking at the initial days of the Jamestown settlement.  The early settlement of Virginia falls within a turbulent time in world history, and creation of Jamestown itself is a fascinating example of colonisation gone wrong.  Jackson does an amazing job of capturing and conveying the brutality and depravation that the inhabitants of the town experienced during their ill-planned expedition.  The descriptive writing provides the reader with a vivid picture of the violent battles, ghastly conditions, cannibalism and torture that the settlers were forced to endure.

Readers will be love the large amount of well-researched historical detail about Jamestown that Jackson has included in Cradle.  The story covers a number of key events which occurred in America and England which affected the colony, and Jackson has made sure to include a large number of real life historical figures who were part of the Jamestown community.  Jackson’s dedication to historical detail shines through, as some of the events incorporated into the plot only have minor mentions in the historical record.  One particular inclusion that many will find enticing is a more accurate and realistic account of James Smith and Pocahontas.  People familiar with the Disney version of the story will find this retelling of events particularly enlightening.

A noticeable feature of Jackson’s novels, whether historical or contemporary, is his love of spies and espionage.  Many of his novels that focus on historical events include subplots or detailed examinations of espionage going on behind the scenes.  This is extremely prevalent in the novels featuring Christian Hardy, as they focus on the intelligence-gathering that started under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.  Fans of this historical espionage will not be disappointed, as a large portion of Cradle is spent examining the espionage that may have been manipulating Jamestown, both in Virginia and back in Europe.  In addition, Jackson has done a superb job of combining the political thriller storylines into this historical fiction novel and including alternative but plausible motives for the actions of real historical figures.  The fictional character of Hardy is seamlessly inserted into this historical novel, and readers will enjoy watching him influence and bring about real historical events, like the brutal death of John Ratcliffe, who many may remember as the main antagonist of Disney’s Pocahontas.

The ninth book from James Jackson is an over-the-top account of the circumstances surrounding the original Jamestown settlement.  Featuring highly detailed and brutal descriptions of the formation of America and making full use for Jackson’s propensity for thrilling spy stories, Cradle is perfect for those looking for some exhilarating action and adventure in their historical fiction.

My Rating:

Four stars

Barbary Station by R. E. Seams

On By The Unseen LibraryIn LGBT+, Science Fiction, Young AdultLeave a comment

barbary-station-9781481476867_hr

Publisher: Saga Press

Publication Date – 31 October 2017

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Space pirates take on rogue artificial intelligences in this electrifying young adult science fiction debut from R. E. Stearns.

In the distant future, humanity is recovering from a devastating civil war between Earth and its colonies.  Life is hard for all, especially for newly graduated engineers Adda Karpe and Iridian Nassir, who can only look forward to a lifetime of paying off their loans on a minimum wage.  So when Adda’s brother, Pel, contacts her with an opportunity, Adda and Iridian decide on a future as pirates.  Hijacking a massive colony ship, the girls make for Barbary Station, the base of operations for the infamous Captain Sloan, whose adventures and riches have been romanticised across the system.

Hoping to impress the pirates with their stolen ship, Adda and Iridian are shocked when, instead of bold adventurers living in luxurious conditions, they find a mismatched crew barely surviving in a hidden makeshift base welded to the hull of Barbary Station.

The station’s AI, AegiSKADA, has gone haywire and has taken to targeting all life forms on the station, bearing a particular grudge against the pirates.  Armed drones hunt people through the interior of the station, and the station’s gun batteries shoot down any ship that gets too close.  On top of that, a colony of refugees are hiding in the station, a team of crazed doctors are making life difficult for everyone and three mysterious ships swoop around the station, killing or saving as they see fit.

Now wanted criminals, Adda and Iridian have to destroy the AI to become members of the pirate crew.  The last team that tried to shut down AegiSKADA died a fiery death, and the pirates have already taken bets on how long the newcomers will survive.  Luckily, Adda is an expert on artificial intelligences and Iridian is a former solider with a big combat shield and superior survival skills.

However, AegiSKADA is the most is one of the most advanced AIs in the galaxy and is surrounded by lethal defences.  AegiSKADA is learning and is determined to kill every invader on Barbary Station.  And, as malevolent as the AI is, it is not the only danger facing Adda and Iridian.

Barbary Station is a great debut from R. E. Stearns, a thrilling new voice in science fiction.  This young adult book takes an exhilarating look into a future of artificial intelligences while introducing some exciting characters and fast-paced action.

Stearns does a great job of exploring the concepts of artificial intelligences, as well as examining the theories and debates about whether they are truly alive.  Among the highlights of the book are the multiple scenes in which Adda interfaces with the station’s systems, including some especially tense scenes in which she interfaces directly with AegiSKADA in order to determine what actions it is taking against the humans.  Stearns masterfully handles the complex matter of AI sentience, creating a narrative which is engaging and thought provoking without oversimplifying the underlying concepts.

Narration for the novel is split between the two main characters, Adda and Iridian, allowing for a well-balanced breakup of the book’s various scenes.  Iridian’s scenes are usually filled with action and exploration, while Adda’s scenes tend to involve the technical exposition and theoretical debate.  The dual perspectives help enhance certain scenes while also adding a dash of realism and tension to those moments when Adda and Iridian are unaware of how the other is faring in their respective missions.  Our heroes, with their varied experiences and character traits, are great foils for each other and can meet the challenges within Stearns’ universe.  It is great to see a same-sex couple so well portrayed in a young adult novel.

Stearns has also populated the book with a range of other interesting characters.  The majority of inhabitants within the station are a typical group of mismatched misfit pirates, led by the revered and enigmatic Captain Sloan, enduring and reflecting the chaotic nature of life within Barbary Station.  Stearns does take the time to introduce a few key characters for the reader to get attached to, and uses them for full emotional effect.  Perhaps the most interesting is Pel, a flakey, skittish character who manipulates his sister into a dangerous environment in order to save himself.  He undergoes some great character development within the story.  Readers will be intrigued as elements of his history and his motivations are revealed, especially regarding his unique connection to events within the space station.

Overall, Stearns has produced a charming and engrossing first book, bringing together several individually great science fiction elements and combining them into one kickass novel.  Barbary Station is a fantastic choice for science fiction fans no matter their age.

My Rating:

Four stars

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