Bakers Dozen 2013: 11

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

So this is another one of those books that I reviewed about a year and a half ago.  And this was another one that I LOVED and I gave it a 5 out of 5.  So this is another book that I don't have in my collection because I borrowed it from my step-brother.  Now along with me writing a book review for this book I also did a book vs. movie comparison.  Yes they made this book into a movie.  But this is a clear example where the book is always better than the movie.

Now because this book uses a very well known historical figure, the author had to use a lot of historic points to make the plot seem plausible.  The book follows Abe from childhood to his assassination.  And the author was very descriptive when it came to explaining what was going on during the time period.  Also, this was a completely different take on vampires, but they author kept the classic ideal of what a vampire is.  Lately the images of what vampires are suppose to be have slipped away from the classic ideal and have gone to nice ones that sparkle.  So in a sense this was a very refreshing book to read just because of that aspect.  Plus as someone who enjoys learning about history this was an interesting way to introduce history to the avid fiction writer.

Even though as I mentioned before I don't have this book in my collection, a lot of the vivid details still remain in my head.  The author tied in historical fact this fiction so seamlessly that I at times wondered if I was reading real fact.

Bakers Dozen 2013: 8

Fire-Starter by Stephen King

So many of you know this famous book by Stephen King which was made into a movie starting a very young Drew Barrymore.  Now I haven't read a huge array of Stephen King novels, but this was the first one that I had ever read by him and I think this book was pivotal in getting my start reading books other than V.C. Andrews.

Now I shouldn't really have to talk about the plot because everyone should have at least some idea of what this book is about but if not I'll briefly explain it.  The novel starts off with Andy meeting his wife Vicky for the first time during a government experiment for extra cash.  The fall in love and get married and give birth to a little girl, Charlie.  Now one of the side effects of this experiment is that Andy and Vicky end up with some special abilities, but because they aren't natural they are very painful to do.  But Charlie's abilities come natural to her.  She has the ability to start fires with her mind.  Vicky ends up getting murdered and Charlie and Andy are on the run from the government, whom want to see the full extent of Charlie's powers.

So this book kind of touches on a lot of different themes.  One is of course government abuse of power.  Which is kind of scary to think about.  I mean you just trying to figure out a way to make a few bucks and you take this crazy drug that has a LSD effect and give you powers and now the government wants to kill you in order to protect their ass.  Yeah kind of scary.  Another is of course to thought of people with special powers or mutants.  Which can also be another terrifying thought that there are people out there that have the power to cause harm without moving a finger.   So I think of the reasons I put Fire-Starter on my list was because this helped me to start reading different authors.  There are a few parts of the book that I can recall off the top of my head so this book definitely left a lasting impression on me.

Book Review: Thristy

Thirsty by M.T. Anderson

So I know I was supposed to be reading a different book, but I'm having a hard time get into so I switched to this book.

Anyway, Thirsty is a young adult novel written by M.T. Anderson.  This is the first book that I've ever read by this author but I got the book from when I worked at the book store.  This book is in the horror genre and is vampire themed, and no they do not sparkle.  The book was published in 1997 and a lot of the language and descriptions are very much set in the late 90's.

The basis of the book is Chris is a high school freshman and all he wants to do is hang out with friends and date Rebecca Schwartz.  Unfortunately life isn't going to be that simple for Chris.  He goes with his brother to a Lynching (which is where the court house executes a vampire) and starts to feel funny.  He feels thirsty.  A few days later he is contacted by a celestial being who needs his help to hold the Vampire Lord Tch'muchgar in his prison and he needs Chris to do it.  With the promise that Chet the celestial being will reverse the vampirism Chris helps him.

Now I have to say I also had a hard time getting into this book because I had a really hard time following the lingo that was used in the dialogue.  Plus the main character Chris is your stereotypical whiny teenage so I had a hard time liking the character.  But about halfway through the book the plot twists and that got my attention.  You find out that Chet the celestial being isn't a good guy and Chris was tricked.  In fact it was hilarious how Chris get getting fooled.  And in the end, he is still a vampire who is heading towards a lynching of his own.

One thing that did put me off though is that there was really no explanation about what was really going on with the vampire vs human aspect.  You pretty much read the book not knowing whats going on and how things came to be.  The author concentrated mainly on Chris and his want to be human and his need to "help" the world but in the end he was tricked and even though he did essentially save the world by killing Tch'muchgar it was what Tch'muchgar paid Chet to do.  So in the end there is really no resolve to the book, it just is.  This book doesn't have a sequel so you're left to assume that Chris will eventually be lynched.

Thirsty was a pretty quick read but I was also hard to get into because a lot of the pages consist of Chris's whining and that got on my nerves.  But I do have to say that it was nice to read a book where the main character isn't really a hero so that was a bit different.  It was an all right book but it isn't something that will be going into any future bakers dozen's anytime soon.

Rating:
2 out of 5

On Deck:
Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber by Adele Lang
Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Bad Boys to Go (anthology)
Return of the Warrior by Kinley MacGregor

Bakers Dozen 7

The Funhouse by Dean Koontz

So this was probably one of the first books in the Horror genre that I have ever read, and it's stuck with me 10 years after I have read it.  I remember going through my mom's book collection because I was sick of reading nothing by V.C. Andrews and the title intrigued me.  So I grabbed the book from the bookshelf and started to read.

The book is based around Amy Harper's life and how she is trying to cope with an overly zealous Catholic mother who is fighting demons from her past and taking it out on her children and turning to vodka to drive away her misery.  Their are many key plot changers in this story that keeps you interested but ultimately you know what the final conflict will be.  The story starts with a young Ellen (Amy's mother) married to an abusive carny, Conrad Straker, and she has given birth to a deformed, demonic child.  Terrified and disgusted by the disfigurement of her first born son, Ellen kills the child and flees from the carnival.  She then turns to religion and eventually remarries and gives birth to two normal children, Amy and Joey.  After the prologue the story is mainly based on Amy with cutouts of Conrad looking for revenge.  Amy finds out she's pregnant in prom night and tells her mother, who is terrified of what the child might look like because he was conceived in sin allows Amy to get and abortion and tells Amy that she is done protecting her soul and that she is basically emotionally alone.  Amy turns to her best friend Liz, who is one of loose morals, and soon finds herself slipping into a darkness that she doesn't want to be a part of.  When the carnival comes to town, Amy's little brother Joey decided he's going to become a carny because of his mom's abuse and runs into Conrad.  Joey doesn't know that Conrad, has a second son who has grown to be what the first born was and he is seeking revenge for his son's murder by killing Ellen's two children.  The final showdown is a fight between Gunther (Conrad's second son) and Amy, and these where Amy realized her positive view on religion.

Again, this story is a major first for me because it was a different genre that what I usually read.  Now I still don't read a lot of horror book but this was a nice breath of fresh air and it's a good book to pick up from time to time to re-read.

Book Review: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter By Seth Grahame-Smith

So I just finished This book and I have to be honest, I didn't think that this book was going to be good.  In fact, I thought that this was just a movie since I've been seeing previews for the movie, it wasn't until I was at my Dad's house that my Step-Mom was telling me that it was a really good book.  Now In all the years that I've known my step-mom I never heard her talk about the book the way she was talking about this one.  So I knew I had to give it a go.

The basis of the story starts off when young Abe found out that it was vampires that killed his mother, not sickness.  Because of that he grew a hatred towards the vampires and vows to hunt and kill every last one of them.  The story follows his life from childhood to his assasination.  The author ties in actual historical facts with the fiction of vampire mythology so seamlessly that you find yourself enthralled into the story and believe the tale.

While there is so many different vampire stories out there, this one finds a spot in the vampire genre that suits it.  The Author was able to bring in the facts of Abraham Lincoln's life into the book and weave a tail that was very captavating.  I had a hard time putting the book down once I started reading in and spent a lot of late nights (early mornings) reading this book.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a different story than all of the vampires tales out there.  While the vampires in a sense are more traditional, they story itself is different.  It ties in historical facts with fiction that will keep you interested until the story is over.

Rating: 5 out of 5

On Deck:
Sweet Anger by Sandra Brown
Glass Houses By Stella Cameron
Elora's Caveman VOL. 4 (anthology)