Brain Candy Break!
Yes, before I begin the end of the year push to try and pump up my reading list-(Oy, I am behind from last year's pace)- I took a brain break with Larry Correia's new book Dead Six, the beginning of another new series that he is co-authoring with Mike Kupari.
This book is another Correia rocket ride, where you just strap in and hang on for over 600 pages of guns, action, violence, fairly chaste romance, and a fairly predictable plot done exceedingly well. This is the real strength of Correia's books. I pretty much figured out where the story was gonna go, at least in the big picture, but I happily went along for the ride anyway. I won't give too much away, but there are a few surprises and enough twists to make the journey most excellent. The most annoying certainty is that it ended with the usual sequel setting cliff hanger...and darn it, I was ready to pick up the next book that won't be out until next summer...rats, rats, rats.
One of Correia's major strengths is his ability to make what could become cardboard characters lovable and endearing. Yes, not words associated with guys, guns, grenades and explosives, but if I don't like the characters in a novel, ehh, what's the point? More important is the author's ability to make the secondary characters equally compelling, something other authors don't do nearly as well, the major exception being Nora Roberts-(Yes I said Nora Roberts)-who probably has the best secondary characters EVER in her novels.
An interesting concept I noticed as a wanna-be writer is the use of the two main characters switching 1st Person POV throughout the book. Now I know James Patterson does an excellent job of switching between 1st and 3rd Person POV in many of his books, but to have two 1st Person POVs in the same book, even in the same scene and have it done well pleasantly surprised me and made the story flow extremely well.
This book is HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended if you like Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, or bacon. I would rank it NEARLY as high as his AWESOME Monster Hunter series and a must read for guys who like books for guys. I haven't gotten into his other series, the Grimnoir Chronicles, which is about magic and private detectives yet, but maybe soon.
In the meantime, back to those boring history books (as my son calls them) as I sample the new wave of World War II volumes being published this fall.
Yes, before I begin the end of the year push to try and pump up my reading list-(Oy, I am behind from last year's pace)- I took a brain break with Larry Correia's new book Dead Six, the beginning of another new series that he is co-authoring with Mike Kupari.
One of Correia's major strengths is his ability to make what could become cardboard characters lovable and endearing. Yes, not words associated with guys, guns, grenades and explosives, but if I don't like the characters in a novel, ehh, what's the point? More important is the author's ability to make the secondary characters equally compelling, something other authors don't do nearly as well, the major exception being Nora Roberts-(Yes I said Nora Roberts)-who probably has the best secondary characters EVER in her novels.
An interesting concept I noticed as a wanna-be writer is the use of the two main characters switching 1st Person POV throughout the book. Now I know James Patterson does an excellent job of switching between 1st and 3rd Person POV in many of his books, but to have two 1st Person POVs in the same book, even in the same scene and have it done well pleasantly surprised me and made the story flow extremely well.
This book is HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended if you like Brad Thor, Vince Flynn, or bacon. I would rank it NEARLY as high as his AWESOME Monster Hunter series and a must read for guys who like books for guys. I haven't gotten into his other series, the Grimnoir Chronicles, which is about magic and private detectives yet, but maybe soon.
In the meantime, back to those boring history books (as my son calls them) as I sample the new wave of World War II volumes being published this fall.
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