Earlier this week I wrote up a quick post talking about my birthday and having received a Nook from my wife. After playing with the device for a few minutes, I hopped onto the web in search of an eBook to try it out.

Earlier that day I spent some time reading a piece of Flash Fiction by John Pender. I recalled having seen his eBook and decided to give it a read. The primary option for this book is in print form and is self published at Lulu. I selected the eBook option and made a payment of $6.25 before downloading my pdf.

John tells us that this book provides “Seven short, short, short stories and poems guaranteed to send shivers down your spine and make those little hairs on your arms stand on end.”

After the simple purchase process, Seven Days of Terror was loaded onto my Nook and I was off and reading. The book, as you would have guessed by the name, is broken into seven section. Each section, or day, contains one piece of fiction.

Table of Contents:

• The Tale of William Storey
• Wolves
• Set in Stone
• Jeremy Willard and the Old Gray Squirrel
• Paper Cut
• Four (….—-)
• Poetry of the Seventh Day

Each piece of fiction is short, just as John tells us in the introduction. They can easily be read in just a few minutes and are easily digested. The writing style is comfortable and allows each story to flow comfortably. The genre is Horror and the content is chilling without being gory or vulgar.

There are some stories I enjoyed more than others, but in general I enjoyed this book. Because I’m not a poetry reader, I skimmed through those sections and moved to the tales of terror.

My only disappointment came in the book being listed as 86 pages. While there may be 86 actual pages, roughly 27 are left blank for formatting purposes. This makes the book much shorter than it seems at first glance.

So the big question, would I recommend this book? If you enjoy reading Horror and some Poetry, I think you are going to enjoy this book. Even eliminating the 27 pages, plus the poetry, I still feel as though I got my monies worth out of Seven Days of Terror and would buy it again, as a gift.

If you are interested in reading Seven Days of Terror, you can purchase your copy from Amazon for $7.98. A Kindle version is available for $4.95 or it can be purchased from Lulu in PDF format.

Watch my Video Review of Seven Days of Terror

My apologies for the video quality, I opted to use
my Mac rather than capturing with my HD Camcorder

Post from: Walt in PA

Book Review: Seven Days of Terror by John Pender

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Title: Random
Author: Craig Robertson
Published By: Simon & Schuster UK
Published Date: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84737-729-6
Length: 329 Pages
Purchased From: Book Depository @ $15.15

The Story:

In current day Glasgow, a series of murders take place. The killings have police baffled as there seems to be no motive. It seems as though randomly selected people are being killed for no other reason than mass hysteria. The only connection between the victims is their severed pinky finger.

Over a few years time The Cutter terrorizes Glasgow and eludes detectives. As the story unfolds, we learn that the murders are not completely random and there is a method to the madness.

My Thoughts:

Random was the first thriller that I have read in some time. I found it to be a nice change of pace from Epic Fantasy. When my copy of the book arrived from a UK bookseller, I was surprised at how short it seemed. The trade size paperback with more than three-hundred pages is printed in a relatively large font with a fair amount of white-space on each page. While not a problem, it makes for a relatively fast read.

The storyline moves smoothly from one murder to the next, filling in back story where needed. The chapters are short (in comparison to epic fantasy) which makes picking up the book, for a few minutes at a time, a pleasure.

The murder scenes are descriptive and unique. I was very fond of the use of Facebook as a device for selecting a murder victim. Little twists like this, in addition to unique ways of killing, made the book interesting and kept me on my toes.

If you are a fan of the thriller genre, I would suggest giving this book a try. It is written by a Scottish author so some words may require research (for instance, I had no idea what a “punter” was).

Post from: Walt in PA

Book Review: Random

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Title: Mad Ship
Series: Liveship Traders Trilogy
Author: Robin Hobb
Published By: Bantam
Published Date: 2000
ISBN: 0-553-57564-3
Length: 850 Pages
Purchased From: Amazon @ $7.99

The Story:

In the second book of the Liveship Traders Trilogy, Mad Ship, the storyline picks up immediately where it was left off in Ship of Magic. The Vestrit family Liveship, the Vivacia, is seized by a manipulative pirate in his quest to become King of the Pirate Isles. With his title of King growing near, Kennit uses the quickened ship to strengthen his position as a savior to the enslaved population.

Upon hearing news of her family Liveship, Althea vows to regain control of the Vivacia and bring her safely home. With no means of doing such a thing herself, she is aided by a former shipmate, Brashen, and an odd new trader, Amber. Together they plan to request the help of a Liveship long abandoned and considered to be mad.

My Thoughts:

While not totally sold on the Liveship Traders Trilogy from the perspective of Ship of Magic, Mad Ship changed all that. The storyline came together and simply clicked. Characters that I spent so much time loathing suddenly matured and turned into people I wanted to read about.

The addition of Paragon, the mad ship, added a curious twist to the storyline that had me eager to read. With each chapter, more of the world was brought into focus, changing my perception of the God-Like figures known as the Elderlings.

If the third book in the trilogy, Ship of Destiny, is as good as Mad Ship, this series is going to shape up to be a fantastic story.

Post from: Walt in PA

Book Review: Liveship Traders – Mad Ship

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Title: Ship of Magic
Series: Liveship Traders Trilogy
Author: Robin Hobb
Published By: Bantam
Published Date: 1999
ISBN: 0-553-57563-5
Length: 809 Pages
Purchased From: Amazon @ $7.99

The Story:

Ship of Magic is the first book in the Liveship Traders Trilogy. This series of books takes place shortly after the Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest) comes to a close and also takes place within the same world.

Bingtown is a city along the Cursed Shores and is home to an old line of traders that travel by ship to exchange goods between merchants in other towns and cities. What makes this group of people so special is there bond with another sect of society, the Rain Wilds Traders, and their use of Liveships. These ships are made of a mysterious and wildly expensive wood which quickens and comes to life.

The book revolves around one trader family in particular and their Liveship. The Vestrit family falls on hard times and has their Liveship perused by pirates. Along the way, Althea, finds herself in a massive family dispute and does all she can to prove herself worthy of being the captain of the Vivacia.

My Thoughts:

While this book was enjoyable, I did not find myself bonded to it nearly as tightly as I was the Farseer Trilogy and the Fitz character. I appreciate that this series takes place within the world I am familiar with and makes references to events and lands that I have experienced through the viewpoint of Fitz.

The ending of this book was a little strange. The reason I say that is because the resolution that I was waiting for was not one from a character that I expected. It ads a nice twist to the ending but I felt like something was missing.

I’ve become very fond of Robin Hobb’s books and intend to continue on with this series. Once finished, I’m planning on diving into the Tawny Man Trilogy to see how Fitz has made out since the last time we heard of him in Assassin’s Quest.

Post from: Walt in PA

Book Review: Liveship Traders – Ship of Magic

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3. Book Review: Farseer – Royal Assassin

A couple of months ago I was having a conversation on Twitter with Dennis Camacho when he sent me a link to a website to track the things I was reading. He had mentioned that he tried the site and thought I could benefit from using it as an avid reader.

The name of the website was Good Reads. Essentially it is a database of books. Through a free account, you can access that long list of books to track what you’ve read and what you plan on reading. In addition to creating these virtual book shelves, you can rate and review books along the way. One of the coolest features for me was the ability to be able to comment on a specific book as I read along. Along with this note is a page marker to keep track of your progress.

Initially I thought that it was really cool but was skeptical on how frequently I would actually put it to use. Surprisingly, I’ve been relatively active. I use it mostly to make notes on a book as I read it and fill up virtual shelves as I make purchases and complete books.

Good Reads also has a message board type setup which allows you to converse with other readers on a given topic. There are forums set up which allow you to join or create book clubs and generate discussion. I have not got involved in this system yet but viewing the discussions in books clubs is rather interesting.

If you are an avid reader, I would suggest taking a look at what this free service has to offer. When you setup your account, or if you already have one, feel free to add me as a friend. The site can also be used to track the things I am reading if you want to get an inside look before a particular review goes live here on Walt In PA.

Post from: Walt in PA

Good Reads

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Title: Assassin’s Quest
Series: Farseer Trilogy
Author: Robin Hobb
Published By: Bantam
Published Date: 1998
ISBN: 0-553-56569-9
Length: 757 Pages
Purchased From: Amazon @ $7.99

The Story:

After narrowly escaping King Regal’s Dungeon in Buckkeep, Fitz is in dire need of rehabilitation to get back into everyday life after being tortured to the brink of death. To help Fitz get a grip on his life, Burrich spends time living with him as he goes through the process of readjusting.

After a falling out with his very dear friend, Fitz strikes out on his own with the intention of avenging both himself and his former king. By the time Fitz realizes that he is playing into the hands of his adversaries, it is nearly too late to correct the mistake and he is forced to rely on help to get him to safety.

From this point on, Fitz is bonded to a side quest in which he has pledged himself. He journeys far to the north to seek out his long missing King-in-waiting, Verity. It is on this quest that he learns a great deal about both of his magical abilities, the Skill and the Wit.

My Thoughts:

In the grand scheme of things, I really enjoyed Assassin’s Quest. By little more than half-way, the reader is given a closer look at the magic system within this series. When we receive more exposure, the possibilities begin to open up and the story takes an interesting turn and focuses more on how deeply the magic system is involved in solving the problem at hand.

The biggest complaint that I have heard about this book is the ending. Some feel as though it is a little too gloomy after all that Fitz has been through, although I feel that the ending was fitting. There was realism in the way the book ended and I don’t know that I could have appreciated a typical fairytale ending where the hero rides off into the sunset, happily ever after.

When this trilogy came to a conclusion, it had me completely and utterly engrossed in it. I wanted nothing more than to dive right into the Tawny Man Trilogy which takes place several years later in Fitz’s life. Despite my interest, I have opted to read the Liveship Traders Trilogy by Robin Hobb. This series is set within the same world as Farseer and supposedly gives the reader a broader view of the happenings of the land before being plunged back into the life of Fitz in the third trilogy.

Post from: Walt in PA

Book Review: Farseer – Assassin’s Quest

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Title: Royal Assassin
Series: Farseer Trilogy
Author: Robin Hobb
Published By: Bantam
Published Date: 1997
ISBN: 978-0-553-57341-1
Length: 675 Pages
Purchased From: Amazon @ $7.99

The Story:

At the end of Assassin’s Apprentice, Fitz is deathly ill as a result of poison and must rest. After an extended stay in the mountain region, the remainder of the party from Buckkeep head back to their home lands to deliver the new queen-in-waiting. The only person to remain at Fitz’s side is Burrich, who was also injured at the end of Assassin’s Apprentice.

Before the worst of winter sets in, the pair journey back to their home of Buckkeep. Over the time that has lapsed, the war with the Red Ship Raiders has built and the coasts are in more danger than ever before. Due to the upbringing of the queen-in-waiting, she interjects herself into the war and begins to rally the smaller lands to defend themselves. By doing this she gains much respect by those around her and is viewed as more than just a foreign lady with the title of queen-in-waiting.

As the end of the novel draws near, Fitz discovers plotting against Kind Shrewd. He then takes it upon himself to remedy the situation and finds himself in a mess of trouble. In this messy predicament, we learn a bit more of the magic system that is The Wit and The Skill.

My Thoughts:

Despite the ending of this book coming across as a little strange, I enjoyed the story immensely. With each book that I read I find myself liking Fitz more and more. At times he comes off as whiny, and at others he comes off as confident and understanding. Regardless of how he is portrayed in any given circumstance, I find the character interesting and fun to read about.

If you find this story interesting but are concerned about it being loaded with killing, there isn’t much to worry about. While the story revolves around an assassin, much more emphasis is placed on what is going on in the characters life, not so much on his job. While there are assassinations taking place, they are not what this book is all about.

Post from: Walt in PA

Book Review: Farseer – Royal Assassin

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Title: Assassin’s Apprentice
Series: Farseer Trilogy
Author: Robin Hobb
Published By: Bantam
Published Date: 1996
ISBN: 0-553-57339-X
Length: 435 Pages
Purchased From: Amazon @ $7.99

The Story:

Assassin’s Apprentice is the memoirs of one FitzChivalry Farseer. The story begins as Fitz explains that each time he attempts to write the history of the Six Dutchies, he winds up telling the story of his youth instead.

The story starts off with Fitz having no recollection of his childhood before the age of six. At this time he was taken to a Keep by his grandfather to be turned over to his father. It would seem that Fitz was the Bastard Son of the King-in-Waiting Chivalry Farseer.

At this time Fitz was taken in by a soldier at the keep and turned over to the man responsible for tending to the King-in-Waiting’s beasts. Before long Fitz was given a warm place to sleep within the stables. Years pass as Fitz lives in the stables and takes on the life of any other young boy, the only difference is that the taint of being a Bastard follows him.

After several years of this simple life, Fitz attracts the attention of King Shrewd and is accepted into the keep as one with noble blood, although he must carry the sign of a recognized bastard son to the royal line. Over time Fitz’s education grows and he is eventually tasked with becoming the apprentice of the royal assassin.

My Thoughts:

Being a fan of story telling, I loved the tone of this novel. Because of the manner in which the story takes place, Fitz is able to glance past insignificant parts of his life and focus on the times which made mattered to the storyline.

The chapters in Assassin’s Apprentice were a little lengthy, but I had difficulty putting the book down. I managed to read this novel in a matter of three days. It made for excellent reading material in between bouts of snow shoveling from a winter storm.

It may be a rather bold statement, but Assassin’s Apprentice is easily the best book I have read in the past six months. If you enjoy this type of story, I would strongly suggest giving it a read.

Post from: Walt in PA

Book Review: Farseer – Assassin’s Apprentice

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Title: Mistborn – Hero of Ages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Published By: TOR Fantasy
Published Date: May 2009 (Mass Market Edition)
ISBN-10: 0-7653-5614-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-5614-7
Length: 724 Pages
Purchased From: Amazon @ $7.99

The Story:

The Hero of Ages starts off much like The Well of Ascension and takes place after a years time has passed since the previous book. An this time, Ruin has been released from his prison by Vin as she attempts to do the right thing and release the power from the Well of Ascension in an effort to save the world.

Once Ruin is released from his prison, he begins to take apart the world. The ash mounds which spewed ash into the air in previous books begin to erupt more frequently. The pileup of ash quickly destroys any plant life already struggling to survive. Both animals and people are dying off from lack of food.

In addition to the falling ash, viscous earthquakes rock the land and split the earth apart. Lava leaks from these chasms and destroys towns and people alike. To make matters even worse, the mists are beginning to linger longer and longer, lasting well into the day. Some people who risk going out into the mist are stricken by seizures and deemed Mistfallen. Some survive only to be viewed as people with little faith in the Church of the Survivor.

With Ruin released to the world, Vin takes the burden upon her shoulders to try and save the world. She must learn how to destroy Ruin and correct the problems caused by the Lord Ruler from one thousand years of rule.

My Thoughts:

While I had trouble staying focused on The Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages held my attention in a much tighter grip. While there was just as much fighting, the battles didn’t seem to drone on and on with detail. I believe this attention to detail is what made me loose interest in the previous book. I simply had no interest in reading, at length, how Vin dropped a coin and pushed, then pulled on a window hinge, in order to push on a doorknob to attack her opponent.

While I generally dislike seeing characters spread about the world while major events are taking place, it just works in this book. Each character seems to have their own problems to deal with in order to achieve the final goal. With several things in motion, the bounding back and forth among characters makes the storyline feel fast paced and exciting.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hero of Ages and look forward to reading more of Brandon Sanderson‘s work. The next novel I have my sights on is Warbreaker. While it is available free online, I intend to purchase the book and read it in traditional form. While Well of Ascension may be slow going, the Mistborn Series as a whole was excellent.

Post from: Walt in PA

Book Review: Mistborn – Hero of Ages

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The Story:

At the end of Confessor by Terry Goodkind, Richard Rahl conjures a powerful spell to create an alternate world. The reason for this alternate world was to give those that wanted to be completely free of magic, a place to live. Once all that wanted free of magic were away, the opening between worlds was closed and The Sword of Truth Series came to a close.

Thousands of years later, a descendant of the house of Rahl, Alex, is living an everyday life in a world free of magic. With nothing in the world but an aging grandfather, a mother in a mental facility, and his love for painting, Alex begins his twenty-seventh birthday like any other day.

While out walking, Alex meets a stunning woman and saves her from being run over by an out of control plumbing truck. After a strange encounter, the pair walk to an art gallery where Alex shows off his work as a painter.

When this mystery woman disappears and strange things begin to happen, he thinks himself crazy. After being attacked by a crazy ex-girlfriend and her two thugs, Alex again meets the mystery woman as she saves his life and ends the lives of those attempting to hurt him.

In an attempt to put the puzzle together, Alex and Jax dive deeper into the Law of Nines prophecy and discover trouble for both of their worlds

My Thoughts:

Having read and enjoyed the Sword of Truth Series, I was a little skeptical about reading The Law of Nines. When I first heard about a new book from Terry Goodkind, I did a little online reading to see if the book would interest me enough to pick it up. After having read about a dozen different pitches on the storyline, I was most hung-up by the use of the last name Rahl as the main character.

Being billed as a Thriller and not a Fantasy novel, I was concerned of the crossover from one genre to another, while drawing from characters I knew and loved from a previous series. After much thought, I wasn’t pleased by what I had read and decided I was going to pass on the novel.

A few weeks later, while adding books to my Amazon shopping cart, I found myself in need of one more item to push me over the free shipping threshold. Not allowing myself to think about it, I added The Law of Nines to my shopping cart and made the purchase.

After having taken so long to read Mistborn – The Well of Ascension, I wanted a change of pace. I picked up The Law of Nines with my expectations set low. I was rather surprised by the story and wrapped up the book in three days.

My concern was that The Law of Nines was going to taint The Sword of Truth series, in my eyes. What I found was a story that takes place thousands of years after The Sword of Truth comes to its conclusion. The bridge from one story to the next was an interesting one that I am glad I took the time to read it.

Just like many of the Sword of Truth Books, I found myself not wanting to set the book down. The story is engaging and easy to follow as Alex Rahl and Jax struggle to save two different worlds from the same vile individual.

The Law of Nines does not require you to have read the Sword of Truth series to follow along. If you have read the previous books, there are a few things in this novel that will grab your attention and make you think back to the goings on in past books.

If you are a fan of The Sword of Truth Series, I would definitely recommend picking up The Law of Nines. Just keep in mind that this novel is billed as a thriller, with less of an emphasis on fantasy, however, the separate worlds, appearing and disappearing bad guys is definitely fantasy in my eyes.

Post from: Walt in PA

Book Review: The Law of Nines

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