Feed by Mira Grant

(Cover picture courtesy of Tansyrr.)

The year was 2014.  We had cured cancer.  We had beaten the common cold.  But in doing so we had created something new, something terrible that no one could stop.  The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives—the dark conspiracy behind the infected.  The truth will out, even if it kills them.

“Our story opens where countless stories have ended in the last twenty-six years: with an idiot—in this case, my brother Shaun—deciding it would be a good idea to go out and poke a zombie with a stick to see what happens.”

When a book starts out like this, you know it’s going to be good.  As many of my readers know, I have a serious fear of zombies that was triggered when I watched Dawn of the Dead at the age of eight.  I bought this book to cure myself of this irrational fear and I truly think Mira Grant’s biting wit (pardon the pun) and excellent characters have cured me.  Zombies don’t scare me any longer, so now I can get on with my review.

Feed is told mostly from the point of view of Georgia Mason—George for short—and she is an excellent narrator.  She is a three dimensional character that is brave, resourceful and protective of her reckless brother Shaun.  And unlike many female characters, she doesn’t fall in love through the course of the story.  In fact, there is no romance whatsoever for the main characters, which is definitely a refreshing change.

I would call Feed more of a political thriller with zombies than a zombie book with politics.  The political atmosphere in a post-Rising world is very different from what it is now, but it makes a lot of sense in the context.  There is much less active participation because of the fear of the Kellis-Amberlee virus infecting you.  And of course the reclamation of zombie-infested lands like Alaska and parts of California is the hot-button issue of the day.  As George and Shaun uncover a conspiracy while on the campaign trail with Senator Ryman, the plot moves along even more quickly than before toward its tragic ending.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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The Other Alexander by Andrew Levkoff

(Cover picture courtesy of PRLog.)

The Other Alexander is the first book in the epic trilogy The Bow of Heaven.  Alexander, a young Greek philosophy student, is wrenched from a life unlived to submit to the whims of an empire—as a slave of Rome.  In a world would without choice, he must use his cunning and wits to gain the trust of one of the most powerful men in the Republic.

Yet no matter how high he climbs, or how deeply he falls in love, Alexander’s life is still bound by the will of another.  When his master becomes blinded by revenge, the fates of both owner and owned become slaves to a terrible choice.  A choice which will threaten the very life of the empire one has ruled, and the other has been forced to serve.

Perhaps it’s the fact that I prattle on about history constantly, but I can guarantee you that everyone in my family and small circle of friends has heard of Gaius Julius Caesar.  How could they not when he is such a cultural phenomenon, even two thousand years later?  Yet while Julius Caesar is a household name, very few people have heard of Marcus Licinius Crassus.  Even among historians, he is dismissed as the weak third member of the First Triumvirate, nothing more than the man who bankrolled the wars of Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar.  But in The Other Alexander, I believe Andrew Levkoff has done for Crassus what Pauline Gedge did for Kamose Tao or what Robert Graves did for Claudius.

In a style reminiscent of Wilbur Smith’s Egyptian novels, Andrew Levkoff chronicles the life of Crassus through the eyes of his unfortunate slave Alexandros, called Alexander. Alexander is very similar to Smith’s Taita in the way he becomes invaluable to his master and ends up running the household.  Also like Smith’s Taita, he constantly reflects on life with the complex, sometimes arrogant mind of a philosopher.  Alexander’s forceful personality is part of what makes him a good character, but he makes the jump from a good character to a great character because he is full of contradictions, just like real people.

The first few chapters are slowly paced to draw the reader in without completely disorienting them with the foreign world of ancient Rome.  However, the pace picks up steadily throughout the novel and by the end it rivals Conn Iggulden’s famously fast-paced novels.  However, unlike Conn Iggulden, Andrew Levkoff does not change history so blatantly.  As far as I know, The Other Alexander is one of the most historically accurate pieces of historical fiction I’ve ever read.  You can certainly tell there was a great deal of research and care put into this novel.

My only true criticism is that this should have been proofread better.  I caught several missing quotation marks in the dialogue and even the use of ‘pray’ instead of ‘prey’ in this passage on page 256:

“In that case, Gaius, you are nothing.  Pray on some other patrician’s wife.”

Yet these mistakes do not detract from the overall quality of the novel and I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in Roman history, particularly that of the late Republic.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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The Fire Within by Chris d’Lacey

(Cover picture courtesy of National Geographic Kids.)

When David moves in with Elizabeth Pennykettle and her eleven-year-old daughter, Lucy, he discovers a collection of clay dragons that come to life.  David’s own special dragon inspires him to write a story, which reveals the secrets behind a mystery.  In order to solve the mystery and save his dragon, David must master the magic of the fire within—not only with his hands but also with his heart.

The Fire Within is definitely a book for ages 8-12, but I still love reading it.  The whole premise behind Chris d’Lacey’s book is unique, highly creative and very intriguing.  I won’t give anything away, but the clay dragons of the eccentric Pennykettles aren’t all that they seem.  David will discover the truth, but will the college student believe it?

Since this is written for a much younger audience, David, the main character, is less mature than most college students.  The characters are not developed as well as they could have been, but they do get better as the novel progresses.  It is more of a character-driven novel than a plot-driven novel and as such, it is not what I would call a fast-paced novel.  Still, it moves along at a decent pace that will keep its young readers riveted.

The writing style is simplistic, which makes it a great book to transition from shorter “chapter books” for children into more complex novels for tweens.  While the story is written from a male perspective, female readers will not be turned away because they can identify with the young Lucy Pennykettle.  I have only one warning about this novel (one that my mother insists I should have told her when I made her read it): the ending is a bit sad for a children’s novel.  I was eleven or twelve when I first read this and I must admit that I shed a few tears, despite my best efforts at self-control.

I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

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The Fires of Merlin by T. A. Barron

(Cover picture courtesy of Free Book Notes.)

The dragon called Wings of Fire has awakened from his enchanted slumber—a spell cast by Merlin’s grandfather—and only the descendant of the wizard who first defeated the dragon possesses the power to stop him.  Before Merlin can go to battle, he must confront the sorceress who has stolen his magical talisman—a talisman needed to stop Wings of Fire.

But according to the prophecy, the one who destroys the dragon also dies…

The stakes are higher than ever before in The Fires of Merlin, the third book in The Lost Years of Merlin epic.  Merlin must save Fincayra once again, but this time it may cost him his life.  With Wings of Fire awakening, Merlin and Rhia must go on a dangerous adventure that will take them across Fincayra once more, meeting all kinds of interesting people and creatures.

What I really love about T. A. Barron’s writing is that he uses a variety of fantasy creatures, rather than just sticking with all of the familiar ones.  I mean, in what other series are you going to find living carnivorous rocks and endangered deer people?  Barron uses his imagination and because of my rant about the lack of diversity in fantasy, I really appreciate the effort he put into his series.  More fantasy writers should follow his lead.

In addition to his excellent world-building, Barron really pays attention to his character development.  Merlin has changed slowly over the past two books and his development continues in this book.  We are finally seeing a bit of a transition from awkward teenage boy to slightly less awkward, more mature teenage boy.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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