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STRANDED

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Bookwraiths

Stranded by Bracken MacLeod

Genre: Horror – Thriller

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Tor Books (October 4, 2016)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 304 pages

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Stranded is a story which tackles the issue of how would a group of people act if they were cut off from civilization and must deal with life-or-death circumstances. Inevitably, in these situations it seems, terrible choices start being made; horrible things begin to happen; and cringe-worthy scenes pile up. And while that might not sound like a revolutionary idea for a horror story, Bracken MacLeod turns it into a nail-biting experience.

The story focuses on Noah Cabot, a simple deckhand on the Arctic Promise; his life pretty miserable due to the bullying and dislike of his fellow crew — including Brewster, the ship’s captain, who has a major grudge against him. But things get even worse for Noah when the ship is thrown off course in a terrible storm, trapped in an impenetrable mist, loses all communications with the outside world, and becomes ice bound. The crew quickly turning on each other, as every attempt to break the vessel free fails. And when people begin to fall ill with a mysterious disease, they also start to see . . . mysterious things. This chain of events cascading one atop another, leading up to a final, dreadful climax, which will leave readers in white-knuckled anticipation until the final sentence.

As a horror-thriller, Stranded is a moody mystery which relies on visceral action and vivid descriptions to set the mood and stoke the dread. Mr. MacLeod’s writing proving to be spot on for this claustrophobic tale. His powerful yet subtle prose able to capture chaotic storms, crazed crewmen, frozen ice fields, and mysterious terrors while also slowly building Noah’s character and revealing the why of his fellow’s intense dislike for him. The skillful manner in which the author creates this story a real joy to experience from my warm, cozy, and safe chair at home.

The only complaint I have with this novel (minor though it is) is the pacing of the narrative. Even with its action-oriented scenes at the beginning, the first half of the book is a slow moving affair, more oriented to building suspense than surprising and only grudgingly revealing information a reader longs to uncover. Obviously, Mr. MacLeod chooses this method so as to work toward the “What the Hell!” moments in the second half of the story, but I, at least, wouldn’t have minded a few more of those in the beginning as well.

Stranded is an entertaining horror-thriller, which surprises and horrifies in equal measure, providing the perfect dose of each to satisfy any reader’s desires. Definitely, it took time reaching its climax, but when the final line is read, the pay off was definitely worth the wait.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in 3 Stars, Horror | Tagged Bracken MacLeod, horror, horror on boat, Stranded, terror at sea, thriller, Tor, Tor Books | 2 Comments

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & GIVEAWAY: AT THE SIGN OF TRIUMPH

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Bookwraiths

At the Sign of Triumph by David Weber

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Safehold #9

Publisher: Tor Books (November 8, 2016)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 768 pages

The Church of God Awaiting’s triumph over Charis was inevitable. Despite its prosperity, the Charis was a single, small island realm. It boasted less than two percent of the total population of Safehold. How could it possibly resist total destruction? The Church had every reason to be confident of a swift, crushing victory, an object lesson to other rebels.

But Charis had something far more powerful than simple numbers. It had a king, a crown prince, and a navy prepared to die where they stood in its defense. It had the Brethren of Saint Zherneau, who knew the truth about Safehold’s founding. Who knew that the Church of God Awaiting was a monstrous lie. And it had Merlin Athrawes, last survivor of long-vanished Earth. Merlin, the cybernetic avatar of a woman dead over a thousand years, who was determined to break the Church’s grip upon the human mind and soul.

So after eight years of war, it is not Charis but the Church that stands upon the brink of defeat. But the Church still commands immense resources, and — faced with the unthinkable — it’s decided that it, too, must embrace the forbidden technology which has carried Charis so far.

In the end, it is simple, for only one can survive. The lines are drawn, the navies and armies have been raised, and all of Safehold is poised for the final battle between those who believe in freedom and those who would crush it forever.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in david-weber Cleveland, Ohio in 1952.

Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.

One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington whose alliterated name is an homage to C. S. Forester’s character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander. Her story, together with the “Honorverse” she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

With thanks to the great people over at Tor Books, this giveaway is for a chance to win David Weber’s latest science fiction novel, At the Sign of Triumph. This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada. The lucky winner will receive a copy of the novel. To enter, check the Rafflecopter giveaway. The winner will be randomly selected, then be notified by email of your great victory!

UPDATE: This giveaway has ended. Thanks for all the people who entered. It was great to see how many people were interested in reading this novel. The lucky winner is John Smith. Hope you enjoy this novel!

Posted in Giveaway | Tagged At the Sign of Triumph, book giveaway, David Weber, military science fiction, Safehold, Science fiction, science fiction giveaway, Tor, Tor Books | 1 Comment

BOOK TRAVELING THURSDAY: GREAT RECOMMENDATION

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Bookwraiths

booktravelingthursdays5 Book Traveling Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Catia and Danielle. Each week everyone picks a book related to that week’s theme, then you write a blog post explaining explain why you choose that book and spotlight all the different covers from different countries. To find out more check out about BTT go to the Goodreads group!

This week’s theme is: Great Recommendation! You know, a book recommended by a friend which you not only liked but absolutely loved. This casual suggestion leading to hours and hours of reading enjoyment.

Well, like everyone, I get lots of recommendations. My real life friends are always talk up their favorite novels of the moment. Online friends send me recommendations on Goodreads or on this very blog. And most of them are great suggestions, but only a handful turn into true love on mine and the books part. But the novel below is one example of a recommendation working out for the absolute best.

ORIGINAL COVER

gunslinger1

This being “original” only in the sense that it is the only cover I could find from 1982, and I believe The Gunslinger was originally published in book form in 1982.

FAVORITE COVERS

My favorite of this group is the cover to the right. I really love all of them though.

LEAST FAVORITE COVERS

None of these covers do anything for me. The top left is just too much bird for me. The next two are too much Dark Tower. The top right is too bright . And the second row has too much creepy, neon colors going on for my tastes, not to mention the images have almost nothing to do with the actual story.

So what do you think? Agree or disagree?

Posted in Book Traveling Thursday | Tagged Book Traveling Thursday, Dark Tower The Gunslinger, favorite book covers, least favorite book covers, Stephen King, the dark tower, The Gunslinger | 6 Comments

TOP 5 WEDNESDAY: CHARACTERS I ONCE LOVED BUT DON’T ANYMORE

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Bookwraiths

top5

Today, the guys in the Goodreads Top 5 Wednesday group have an interesting topic this week: CHARACTERS YOU ONCE LOVED BUT DON’T ANYMORE! These are the characters who you used to adore, but now you don’t. Maybe they changed a lot. Maybe you outgrew them. Maybe your outlook changed and now you can’t stand them. Maybe you don’t even hate them, you just are neutral about them when you used to run a fan blog about them.

Sad to say, but we all have these types of characters in our lives. Most of mine being of the “I Outgrew Them” variety. Which is to be expected really. I mean, the people you admire and look up to at twenty-years-old or thirty or whatever is going to be far different than who you admire when you are even older and (hopefully) even wiser. But it still makes me a little sorrowful that I had to leave these people behind.

5. JAXOM (DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN)

I really thought a lot of Jaxom when I was a teenager. His aristocratic attitudes coupled with a desire to do the right thing made him exactly the kind of hero I adored back in the day. Now, I find most of that aristocratic bearing of his rather annoying (though he isn’t the worst example of such in fantasy literature) and his life rather charmed in most respects. And since I’m not privileged nor will I ever be, I don’t tend to like those kinds of guys much any more.

4. RAISTLIN (DRAGONLANCE)

The main thing I adored about this guy back when I was a teen was that he was driven to succeed. Raistlin didn’t let anyone or anything get in his way. And since I was fairly ambitious back then, I found that quality really compelling. Now, however, after having lived quite a long time since I first encountered old Raistlin and having been around loads of people just like him in real life, I don’t care for his type of personality anymore. Not saying I don’t still appreciate him as a part of the Dragonlance story, but, unfortunately, he isn’t a favorite of mine anymore.

3. VLAD TALTOS

Vlad appears here due to similar reasons as Raistlin. This guy was driven to climb his way up the social ladder no matter what he had to do or whom he had to kill. Sure, he did have a heart, but feelings rarely kept Vlad from his chosen mission. Plus the guy is clever. You know, the slick guy who crafts a way to give everyone the shaft as he wins the day. Seen too many of those types of people over the years. Don’t like them (or Vlad) much anymore.

2. MARA OF THE ACOMA

This protagonist of The Empire Trilogy by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts was a big favorite of mine for years. I loved her intelligence, cunning, and irrepressible desire to get to the top. Yet again (because I know I’m repeating myself over and over again), once I grew up and experienced politicians like Mara up close I really did not find her qualities nearly so mesmerizing. Rather she seems excessively cold-hearted and devious.

1. NED STARK

Ned is exactly the type of honorable, proud, steadfast, and loyal to a fault character I use to adore when I was younger. I mean, what isn’t to like about old Ned. And he was my guy in Game of Thrones. But as I’ve matured the last twenty years and mulled over his actions, I’ve seen that Lord Stark really has some major flaws. I mean, he refuses to see the bad qualities in others. He trusts everyone – even when he is told repeatedly not to. He naively imagines his enemies will go by the rules. He believes that by making the honorable choice everything will work out in the end. All this leads to him failing to guard against his enemies. And, when his back is to the wall, he isn’t willing to do what needs to be done in order to protect himself, his family, and the realm when he should clearly see what will happen if he doesn’t. Talk about self-delusional. It isn’t that I hate old Ned now, but I merely see that he (like all of us) has some major faults which I personally cannot overlook and which has resulted in him being removed from my favorite character list.

There is my top five. Agree or disagree with me about any of these guys? How about you? Who are the characters you once loved but now can’t stomach?

Posted in Top Five Wednesday | Tagged A Game of Thrones, disliked fantasy characters, Dragonlance, Dragonlance Chronicles, dragonriders, Dragonriders of Pern, fantasy characters, Feist, Game of Thrones, janny wurts, Jaxom, Mara of the Acoma, Ned Stark, Raistlin, The Empire Trilogy, The White Dragon, Top 5 Wednesday, vlad taltos | 6 Comments

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY — ARCANUM UNBOUNDED

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Bookwraiths

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine to let readers share their excitement for books coming out soon, and the novel I’m eagerly awaiting is . . .

Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy – Story Collection

Series: Cosmere

Publisher: Tor Books (October 22, 2016)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 672 pages

Brandon Sanderson’s first story collection: novellas and short stories set in the Shardworlds, the worlds of Stormlight, Mistborn, Elantris, and more.

An all-new Stormlight Archive novella will be the crown jewel of Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection, the first book of short fiction by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

The collection will include eight works in all. The first seven are:
“The Hope of Elantris” (Elantris)
“The Eleventh Metal” (Mistborn)
“The Emperor’s Soul” (Elantris)
“Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, Epsiodes 28 through 30” (Mistborn)
“Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell” (Threnody)
“Sixth of Dusk” (First of the Sun)
“Mistborn: Secret History” (Mistborn)

Originally published on Tor.com and other websites, or published by the author, these wonderful tales convey the expanse of the Shardworlds and tell exciting tales of adventure Sanderson fans have come to expect, including the Hugo Award-winning novella, “The Emperor’s Soul.”

Arcanum Unbounded will also contain a currently untitled Stormlight Archive novella which will appear in this book for the first time anywhere.

Purchase the book at Amazon

Posted in Waiting on Wednesday | Tagged Arcanum Unbounded, Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Sanderson story collection, Cosmere stories, Sanderson short stories, The Cosmere Collection, Tor, Tor Books, Waiting on Wednesday | 3 Comments

TOP TEN TUESDAY

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Bookwraiths

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday! This is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where a new top ten list hits the web every week!

This week our topic is …

BOOKS I’VE ADDED TO MY TO-BE-READ LIST LATELY

Fairly easy topic this week, so let me roll out my ten most recent additions to the to-be-read pile I keep slowly building to astronomical proportions.

10. UNFETTERED II

Shawn Speakman has put together this amazing story collection to either help eliminate medical debt for other authors or be donated to cancer research hubs around the world. The author lineup is amazing with Brandon Sanderson, Janny Wurts, Jim Butcher, Naomi Novak, Mark Lawrence, Charlaine Harris, Michael J. Sullivan, and many more top authors contributing stories. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one.

9. AN EMPIRE ASUNDER

I’m always on the lookout for some good space opera, and the reviews I’ve read of this series seem to point to it being an exciting (if fairly light) scifi romp. Definitely, something I am willing to take a chance on.

8. KINGS OF THE WYLD

As a lover of tales about old mercenaries past their glory days but wanting to give it to someone one last time, I couldn’t have been more excited when I discovered this novel a few weeks ago. And, yes, I like the cover even though the guys have hair metal hair cuts. Or do I like the cover because they have hair metal haircuts? Huh. Interesting question there.

7. BEREN AND LUTHIEN

I realize some people don’t really find J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion to their liking. Too long. Too much telling. Sounds too much like the Bible. I’ve heard them all. But I love the book and adore all the legends Tolkien so lovingly puts together, and so I can’t pass up the chance to read this complete story of these lovers from different worlds.

6. THE FORGETTING MOON

Cool cover. Epic fantasy story. More than a little grimdark thrown in for added tastiness. I mean, how could I resist this book by Brian Lee Durfee. It really sounds like he wrote it just for me.

5. THE WAY INTO CHAOS

I saw a lot of people on Goodreads and Reddit recommending this book to each other, so I decided to read a few reviews about it. One reviewer I follow wrote,“In terms of form and style it reminds me of elements from David Gemmell, Greg Keyes and Jim Butcher’s Alera (some very good company to be in).” Needless to say, that description sold me on giving this one a try.

4. THE STORMCALLER

Many of my reading friends really dig Tom Lloyd’s novels, so I decided I’d give them a try as well. This has magical “white-eyes”, gods, warfare, and tons of violence. All of which sounds really damn good. We will see though.

3. THE SHADOW OF WHAT WAS LOST

Another book with a cool cover. Epic fantasy story. Magic. And reviewers comparing it to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. No way my weak willpower could help me resist adding this novel to my prodigious to-be-read list.

2. A CITY DREAMING

The fact that Daniel Polansky penned this novel was the main draw for me. Usually, I tend not to get too excited about urban fantasy; it just isn’t my preferred form of fantasy. But since Polansky had wowed me with his novella The Builders, I knew I had to take a chance on this one soon and see if he could do it again.

1. DEVIL’S NIGHT DAWNING

The blurb on this one reads: “High fantasy meets gothic horror in this gripping tale of suspense, conflict, faith and magic – the first part in an epic saga of sweeping proportions.” Whether the narrative actually lives up to that remains to be seen, but if it does, I want to read that kind of book.

So there are my most recent additions to my to-be-read list. Have you read any of these yet? If so, what did you think of them? And what have you added to your own t-b-r list lately?

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday | Tagged A City Dreaming, An Empire Asunder, Beren and Luthien, Brian Lee Durfee, Damien Black, DANIEL POLANSKY, Devil's Night Dawning, epic fantasy, Evan Currie, fantasy releases, Harry Connolly, J.R.R. Tolkien, James Islington, Kings of the Wyld, Nicholas Eames, Shawn Speakman, Stormcaller, The Forgetting Moon, The Shadow of What Was Lost, the Way Into Chaos, Tom Lloyd, Top Ten Tuesday, unfettered II | 6 Comments

TEASER TUESDAY

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Bookwraiths

teasertuesday1

Teaser Tuesday is a meme held over at Books and a Beat.

To participate, all you have to do is:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Trial of Intentions by Peter Orullian

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Series: Vault of Heaven #2

Publisher: Tor Books (May 26, 2015)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 672 pages

Vendanj settled back against his large rock. “You’ve heard the story of the first Sheason, Palamon, wrestling Jo’ha’nel, who followed the dissenting god.” Vendanj did not rush. “To say they wrestled is an author’s way of adding poetry to their fight. It was a struggle of wills. A struggle that took place over many days and many bloody fights. But it was this contest where lines were drawn, this contest where the intentions of those loyal to Quietus were made known. It’s also when the need for the Sodality became clear.”

“Why is there no record of the formation of the Sodality?” Braethen asked.

Vendanj held up his hand. “Patience.” He held a long silence, then began to tell a story.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in Teaser Tuesday | Tagged epic fantasy, epic fantasy books, epic fantasy series, Peter Orullian, Teaser Tuesday, The Unremembered, Tor, Tor Books, Trial of Intentions, Vault of Heaven | Leave a comment

FUNDAY MONDAY, OR THE BOOKS THAT WILL HELP ME SURVIVE THE WEEK AHEAD (NOVEMBER 7, 2016)

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Bookwraiths

funday-monday

The work week begins. I quickly slip into my business suit and head back into the office to save a few innocent people. But while I try to fool myself into being excited about the grind, deep down, I’m not, so I’m going to escape dreary reality by reading some great books.

Like always I’m running behind, but with the holidays jsut around the corner, I’ve got to get some reading and reviewing done now, while I still ahve the time.

Remnants of Trust by Elizabeth Bonesteel

Genre: Science Fiction – Military

Series: Central Corps #2

Publisher: Harper Voyager (November 8, 2016)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 528 pages

In this follow-up to the acclaimed military science fiction thriller The Cold Between, a young soldier finds herself caught in the crosshairs of a deadly conspiracy in deep space

Six weeks ago, Commander Elena Shaw and Captain Greg Foster were court-martialed for their role in an event Central Gov denies ever happened. Yet instead of a dishonorable discharge or time in a military prison, Shaw and Foster and are now back together on Galileo. As punishment, they’ve been assigned to patrol the nearly empty space of the Third Sector.

But their mundane mission quickly turns treacherous when the Galileo picks up a distress call: Exeter, a sister ship, is under attack from raiders. A PSI generation ship—the same one that recently broke off negotiations with Foster—is also in the sector and joins in the desperate battle that leaves ninety-seven of Exeter’s crew dead.

An investigation of the disaster points to sabotage. And Exeter is only the beginning. When the PSI ship and Galileo suffer their own “accidents,” it becomes clear that someone is willing to set off a war in the Third Sector to keep their secrets, and the clues point to the highest echelons of power . . . and deep into Shaw’s past.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Dark Shadows: Heiress of Collinwood by Lara Parker

Genre: Mystery – Gothic

Series: Dark Shadows

Publisher: Tor (November 8, 2016)

Author Information: Website

Length: 320 pages

Dark Shadows: Heiress of Collinwood is the continuing the story of the classic TV show, Dark Shadows by series star, Lara Parker.

“My name is Victoria Winters, and my journey continues . . . .”

An orphan with no knowledge of her origins, Victoria Winters first came to the great house of Collinwood as a Governess. It didn’t take long for the Collins family’s many buried secrets, haunted history, and rivalries with evil forces to catch up to Victoria and cast the newcomer adrift in time, trapped between life and death.

At last returned to the present, Victoria is called back to Collinwood by a mysterious letter. Hoping to fill in the gaps of her memories by meeting with the people who knew her best, Victoria returns to the aging mansion. However, she soon discovers that the entire Collins family is missing—except for Barnabas Collins, a vampire whose own dark curse is well known. Victoria discovers that she has been named sole heir to the estate, if only she can prove her own identity.

Beset by danger and dire warnings, Victoria must discover what dread fate has befallen Collinwood, even as she finally uncovers a shocking truth long hidden in the shadows . . .

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in Funday Monday | Tagged Central Corps, Dark Shadows, Elizabeth Bonesteel, Funday Monday, gothic horror, Harper Voyager, Heiress of Collinwood, Lara Parker, military science fiction series, military scifi, Remnants of Trust, The Cold Between, Tor Books | 2 Comments

CHARACTER, DRIVEN

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Bookwraiths

Character, Driven by David Lubar

Genre: Young Adult

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Tor Teen (March 1, 2016)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 304 pages

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Character, Driven is a coming-of-age story filled with literary word play, adolescent self-understanding, and more than a little humor. The main character, Cliff (as in “on the edge”) Sparks, a relatable and realistic teenager, who is brutally honest in revealing his most guarded feelings, most horrifying embarrassments, and deepest desires in clever and crass ways. David Lumbar having successfully recreated the high school experience in this novel, capturing the emotion, drama, and awkwardness of this time in everyone’s life.

Cliff is our first person narrator throughout. (At times, he actually breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to his readers.) Naturally, this 17-year-old young man has the usual assortment of teenage boy issues: home problems (His father doesn’t support his dreams of being an artist), school problems (A crush on a new girl whom he can’t find the courage to talk to), and life problems (No idea what he really wants to do with his own). But while all this weighs him down, Cliff has a group of diverse, offbeat friends to help him through it all. And this story is his opportunity to be brutally honest with himself, as he lets his playfulness run wild in his writing: everyone getting colorful nicknames, every literary device being used. These elements partially masking the very believable and relatable growing up that Cliff finds himself going through.

Probably most readers of Character, Driven will fall into two categories and appreciate different things about it. For teenagers (mainly boys, though girls can learn a great deal about teen boy’s true nature here), they will see Cliff as someone very familiar, who is dealing with similar problems as they or people they know; his funny, introspective story voicing out loud many of their own thoughts about their so called life. For everyone else (the “old people” in the reading audience), the draw here is a fun return to the good and bad times of teen-hood when every moment was alive with excitement and horror, as we all slowly fought our inevitable transformation from children into grownups by questioning everything, surrounding ourselves with friends, goofing off in every way possible, and dreaming of the perfect significant other to share it all with.

As for any criticism of the book, I could say say some of Cliff’s teen behavior was a bit much and that the pacing was a bit slow in sections. However, those are minor complaints, which could have more to do with me being in the “older” section of the audience rather than any true issues in David Lumbar’s writing.

Funny, insightful, and filled with cool literary devices, Character, Driven is as good as its central character Cliff; a young man who is slowly finding his way through life’s problems, as he searches for a path to move forward after high school and try to reach for his dreams. And if you find Cliff’s voice as familiar and relatable as I did, you too will feel sorry to see the last page in this journey arrive.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in 3 Stars, Young Adult | Tagged Character Driven, David Lubar, high school drama, teens, Tor Teen, Young Adult | Leave a comment

SONG OF THE DEEP

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Bookwraiths

Song of the Deep by Brian Hastings

Genre: Middle Grade Adventure

Series: Stand Alone Novella

Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books (July 12, 2016)

Length: 176 pages

My Rating: 3 stars

Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of “cross-channel” marketing. I mean, sure, I love all the Marvel superhero movies, but why must I never escape them, even when I’m pumping gas or buying groceries or picking up a Happy Meal for my children. Sometimes a lot of cross-channel marketing is not a good thing but a bad thing. So when my youngest son and I began reading Song of the Deep as a bedtime story a couple months ago, I was a little wary of it, having watched this same son of mine play the video game over and over and over again. Thankfully, though, Brian Hastings does a great job of building upon the core story of the game, crafting an engaging, fast-paced Middle Grades story that anyone can read and enjoy.

Our main character is twelve-year-old Merryn, who lives with her fisherman father (her mother having died several years before). The two share a fairly quiet life in a tiny house overlooking the sea. Every morning Merryn’s father goes out on his one-man fishing boat. Every night Merryn waits for him, standing atop the cliff with a candle in hand to guide him home. But while she knows her father wants it this way, our plucky protagonist continually asks to go with him to sea, so she can help him with his work. But her father’s fear of losing Merryn causes him to deny her repeated requests.

Things continue as they have until one night Merryn’s father does not come home. Determined to find him and rescue him, Merryn shows amazing resourcefulness in building a submarine and heading out to sea. This leads her into many amazing adventures, where she makes many good friends, gains some enemies as well, and slowly learns that the lullabies her mother once sang to her were much more than the silly songs they appeared!

Written for the 8-12 year-olds out there, this narrative does a great job of entertaining its readers with non-stop excitement while also taking time to develop Merryn as a determined and resourceful yet uncertain and scared kid. This young girl quickly becoming everything a parent could hope for in a daughter, as she shows amazing intelligence, strong morals, and a deep desire to always do the right thing for those she loves.

Song of the Deep also walks the fine line between accurately portraying the game it is based off of while still being a story unto itself. Definitely, the dramatic images of the game are there for players to see in print; it’s game play elements coming through, as Merryn is forced to solve problems and overcome obstacles which are taken straight from the game itself. But Brian Hastings does an excellent job of bringing a sense of realism to this undersea world of lost cities, leviathans, ocean legends, and even some surprising scifi themes.

Overall, this novel is an entertaining read which presents a nice, original world with a likable character. No doubt, young fans of the video game will enjoy it, but all Middle Grade fans of fast-paced adventure would most likely find it a fun read as well.