Reviews
Hammerhead: A Summer of Massacre by Garry Charles
‘Don’t eat before, during or after reading’
That is what the personal enscription said inside the front cover. A warning from the Author, but that should have included sleep in there as well. This book had me gripped from the first page so much so I spent two nights up til early hours reading it until it was finished. Some of the characters names had me smiling and I wondered if that was nod to certain people by the author. What I also found strange and I wonder if it was intended, is that I felt a form of empathy for the monster, Hammerhead. Even though he was committing some brutal acts I felt sorry for him more then the victims. During my literature course, while studying Gothic and Horror we have discussed how writers create their monsters so that a reader may take their side over the victims. Withthis in mind, I feel Garry Charles has managed to do what Bram Stoker and many other horror writers has done and written a monster that can be emphasised with.
Over all this book is a must read and the ending. Well, lets say I had to reread the ending twice to make sure I had read it correctly, it was that shocking, and that is one of the reasons I enjoyed it. I love works that both shocks and surprises and this certainly did.
Hadesgate Publications
ISBN 978-0-9550314-8-9
£7.99
RATING 5/5
The 19th Wife
It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. A rich account of a family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how a young woman became a plural wife.
Soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds–a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truthbehind his father’s death.
And as Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines withthat of Jordan’s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love and faith.
This book was a fantastic read. My father was a Mormon and I understood alotof the history withJoesph Smith and the prophets. This book approaches the subject of polygamy and how it affected women of that time and even now in some sects. It flitted between modern day and a 19th wife in the 1800’s. each chapter kept me hooked, wanting to read more. Definatly a must.
ISBN 1400063973
5/5
The Queen’s Sorrow by Suzannah Dunn
These are desperate times for Mary Tudor. As England’s first ruling queen, her joy should be complete when she marries Philip, the Prince of Spain. However, the lonely queen soon vents her depression on her people leaving England a place of fear and cruelty.
Mary’s fall from grace is seen through the eyes of Rafael, a Spanish sundial maker who is part of the prince’s entourage. He becomes the one person she trusts, but will his new life and newfound love be caught in the chaos that follows
When I bought this book, I was eager to read something that told me Mary Tudor’s perspective, which would have made a refreshing change to reading about her father of Elizabeth. However, I soon found that I was halfway through the book and very little had been about Mary herself, but more about life in London and Rafael. Therefore, I felt a little mislead by the back page write up and front cover.
The story is a good one and there are detailed descriptions on what it was like in London itself outside of court. The central character is likeableand you are swept along with his journey and emotions. So I would say the book is a good read. It is, I feel, a little deceiving in what the synopsis says it is.
Harper perennial
ISBN 978-0-00-725828-4
3½/5
The Other Boleyn Girl. By Philippa Gregory
Mary Boleyn catches the eye of Henry VIII when she comes to court as a girl of fourteen.
Dazzled by the golden prince, Mary’s joy is cut short when she discovers that she is a pawn in the dynastic plots of her family. When the capricious king’s interest wanes, Mary is ordered to pass on her knowledge of how to please him to her friend and rival: her sister Anne.
Anne soon becomes irresistable to Henry, and Mary can do nothing but watch her sister’s rise. Anne stops at nothing to achieve her own ambition. From now on, Mary will be no more than the other Boleyn girl.
But beyond the court is a man who dares to challenge the power of her family to offer Mary a life of freedom and passion. If only she has the courage to break away - before the Boleyn enemies turn on the Boleyn girls…
This is one of the first books I picked up of Philippa Gregory’s and I fell in love with it. Being a big fan of Tudor England Philippa was able to paint a vivid picture of what life was like in court in those days.
I was totally hooked on the relationship between the two sisters even though I knew exactly how it would end. I won’t fill up this space with any more reviews of Philippa’s books but I will say don’t just read this one, read the others. They’re all well written, and please, if you saw the film and was disappointed, do not let that put you off. The book is so much more.
ISBN: 0006514006
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
RATING: 5/5
Heavens falling: ascension vol one. By Garry Charles.
The back page write up. When Virgil Kain was murdered, the last thing expected was to wake up in a hospital bed. To add to his confusion he is told that he should not be dead, that the future of the realms of heaven and hell, and earth are dependant on his survival.
I came across Garry Charles totally by accident, through my sister-in-law, and I’m glad I did. This book gives an alternative picture of what Heaven and Hell look like; one for me that was very refreshing. The characterisation of mythological characters like Lucifer and different Gods and Goddesses are refreshing and littered with artwork by Paul Cox and you really get a sense of what the central character Kain is seeing and going through.
This book was a true ride and one I wanted to continue by reading the following two books in the series. Garry is a new author who is a rising star and is increasingly popular within the genre of horror. He is also a local man to me, who gives me hope that I too can follow in his footsteps.
ISBN 0-9550314-0-0
HADESGATE PUBLICATIONS
RATING 5 OUT OF 5