Tagged: robots
Zombies vs. Robots: No Man’s Land by Jeff Conner
(Cover picture courtesy of PREVIEWSworld.)
Book #5 in IDW’s shambling series of original Zombies vs Robots prose collections. Fully illustrated by the fantabulous Fabio Listrani, this new anthology features fresh tales of rotting flesh and rusting metal, undead unrest and mechanical mayhem. Once again IDW expands the apocalyptic hellscape of its unique signature franchise. A world where brain-eaters roam and warbots rule is truly a No Man’s Land.
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of this book through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
I normally would have never given an anthology like this a second glance. But I was invited to by the publisher so I figured I had nothing to lose. If I’m honest, I thought the whole thing sounded kind of stupid but I’ve always tried to keep an open mind about literature so I gave it a try anyway.
Am I glad I did? Well I haven’t exactly found my new favourite series but at the same time I’m glad I gave this book a chance. It wasn’t as awful as I was expecting it to be. Instead, there were some very intelligent, believable and well-written stories about a world where zombies roam and robots meant to protect people from said zombies have gone rogue. This isn’t a random collection of individual story threads like the disastrous V-Wars anthology was, thankfully. No, each story picks up where the other one left off in the narrative of the zombie takeover and robot intervention. In the beginning there are stories when zombies are just starting to become a threat and by the end we’re in a fully post-apocalyptic time.
Most of the stories were very well-written. Others could have been better, but there were no stories that truly stood out as bad. The pacing is very good for most of them and the overall plot arc is fast-paced. This isn’t the sort of book you’ll race to read in one sitting, but it is good enough to keep you reading for a while to find out what’s going to happen next in this world where zombies and robots roam.
The characters were generally well fleshed-out. There were some pretty stereotypical characters (like the ditzy girls in one story) but overall the characters were believable and changed as much as can be expected in the course of a short story. None of the characters stood out as truly memorable for me, but that may be more of a personal thing than an issue with the writing.
If you think the idea behind this anthology sounds interesting, I’d say go for it! It’s not the type of book I’m really into but for the right audience this could be a great thrill ride.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
(Cover picture courtesy of Fantastic Fiction.)
When Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother in Victorian England, something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld. Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, who are members of a secret organization called the Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she has the power to transform into another person. The Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa’s power for his own. Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James and Will. As Tessa is drawn deep into a plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, she realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world…and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
Even after more than a week has passed since I finished reading Clockwork Angel, I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
On one hand, Tessa Gray is a great character. She’s not nearly as helpless as Clary is at first in City of Bones. She does anything to save her brother Nathan, even if it means submitting to the torture the Dark Sisters put her through to train her to use her shape-shifting power. But while Tessa is three dimensional, some other characters like Will and Jessamine are not. Will is cold, distant and appears to be a womanizer, just like Jace was at first. He’s the stereotypical bad boy with a tragic backstory that made him that way, which makes Clockwork Angel feel like City of Bones rehashed.
What saves this novel is that it is set in a different time period with a different enemy: the mysterious Magister and his freaky robots. The plot is fast-paced and readers of The Mortal Instruments will recognize Magnus Bane and a few family names, like Lightwood and Herondale. We also find out why the club where Clary first saw Jace is called Pandemonium; it really does have an interesting backstory. If you’re completely new to Cassandra Clare’s writing I would recommend reading the first three Mortal Instruments books before reading Clockwork Angel because you’ll get a lot more out of it. It’s not necessarily a requirement, but things will make a lot more sense.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.