Archive for the ‘Dark Fiction’ Tag
Tim Marquitz sent me this book around the time it was released. Tim knows to anticipate an honest review from me. This was not a ‘rounded up’ four-star, it’s an “I can’t quite give it 5-stars” review.
Although this is book 5 in the series, there are a lot of ‘first times’ to mention. This was Tyson Mauermann’s editorial debut. For those who don’t know Tyson, he is ‘the’ book reviewer for Speculative Book Review– and here I have an opportunity to critique his work– heh-heh. The editing was 5-star quality in Beyond the Veil. (Now Tyson, for such nice words, I expect a 5-star review for my next book. Insert cheesy smile here.) In all seriousness, the editing was nearly flawless––a good editor makes a great author look perfect. Tim’s money was well spent.
This is also the first Demon Squad book to have Carter Reid’s masterful art for its cover. This cover screams what will be found inside––lots of action is coming––enough that Frank should hide and save his bullets. Frank looks grittier than ever—the cover fits the book. Again, Tim’s money—well spent.
Here is a first for me too. Normally, I avoid self-published books because the quality is often-times amateurish. Shot from the hip and usually without proper editing, self-published books are frequently nightmarish. Of course there are exceptions. Tim Marquitz is one of them but Tim is not new to the publishing world. Due to the grim nature of his series, I think he has made a wise decision in leaving traditional publishing.
Tim’s expertise is shown by the pros who’ve gathered to help produce a book at this high of a quality. Now, what is inside the book?
Beyond the Veil is either the best written, or the best edited in the series to date, perhaps both. This is the 5th book in the Demon Squad Series, a series that began with Armageddon Bound. If you love Dark Fantasy, stop reading this review, go buy the first book. The story changes dramatically in Beyond the Veil, and I’m not going into the back story – we are five books deep. In fact, I’m going to avoid speaking of the plot entirely. If you’ve read book four, you know where book five needs to go.
Let’s talk about characterization. As we expect with Frank’s narration, this story is rich with sarcasm and colorful metaphors. This was one of the attractions that caught me in Armageddon Bound, and it is consistent throughout each book. Sadly, yet understandably, as Tim’s writing abilities have sharpened, so Frank’s lewdness has also been shaved away. Frank’s inability to keep it in his pants (or at least his hand) was a character flaw that burned Frank as a memorable anti-hero. Here in book five, Frank loves boobies as much as ever––he’s just stopped slobbering so much. Frank has grown considerably.
Frank is an anti-hero. I don’t normally read books where the hero is a borderline villain. We see more of Frank’s anti-hero behavior in this book, more so than in any of the prior books. Still, he possesses enough conscience that we can forgive him and keep cheering him forward. His actions are quite ‘uncool’ in the very beginning of this book, but I will leave it for you to decide if Frank is worthy of your forgiveness. I’d probably done the same thing if given the same circumstances. Luckily, my wife probably won’t get nabbed by extra-dimensional fugitives on the run from God and Satan, but if it does happen, rest assured, I’ll follow Frank’s lead.
The imaginative quality of this story is right on par with earlier books in the series. Tim’s vision of magic is easily malleable and its use is enjoyable to read. His delivery is visual––as is expected by us who’ve traveled this deep into the story.
So with all this great stuff to say, why didn’t I give it 5-stars. I enjoyed this book greatly, but in the end, it just didn’t hit me like ‘At the Gates’ and ‘Armageddon Bound.’ My connection to this story wasn’t as strong.
Most readers will disagree, but I thought there was too much action. I was loving the interaction between Frank and Longinus—and then AMBUSH! Or, Frank is having great dialogue with an alien woman, learning more about the world, and DRAGON ATTACK! Frank is sniffing out clues and “IT’S A TRAP!” (Shamelessly, I quote Admiral Akbar, and that particular scene was very important to the plot.) Some readers will see the constant action as a good thing, especially younger readers who don’t appreciate well-written and long-winded dialogues. They will disagree with this critique the strongest.
Don’t read too far into what I’ve said. I expected a high energy action novel and Beyond the Veil is just that. There is a fight around every corner, and at the scene near the 80% mark–awesomely executed. I felt the action-to-story ratio was a little off for my personal tastes—that is the how and why of 4-stars.
All the same, Tim Marquitz has hooked me for one more future read. I hope this review is helpful to whoever found it. If you like a darker story, start with book one—it is still my favorite in the series. Know this journey is daring.
I don’t usually showcase an author’s text in my reviews because it requires too much typing on my part, but D. Robert Grixti’s prose was exceptional. Here is an excerpt from Sun Bleached Winter,
–Night has fallen. We’re eating dried biscuits by the light of the campfire. The flames glow weakly, dimly. Dying. Flakes of snow drift down from the sky and threaten to bury everything under a blanket of white. Nothing can live here.–
Atmosphere––Mr. Grixti does it very well. The bleak world inhabited by the narrator had been crispy fried by nuclear war. A blanket of smoke, dirt, and clouds blot the sun’s light, embracing every day in fallout winter. Lionel and his sister Claire are the central characters in the story, but things spice up with the introduction of Jessica, a gun toting firecracker wearing clean clothes. Lionel is conscripted to do a dirty job with Jessica, and if he survives, he’ll earn entry into New City for himself and Claire.
Expertly done, the setting was consistently used to keep the weight of doom and uncertainty lingering with every turn of the page. Here is another tease,
–I stay awake, staring into the blackness, and thinking about what tomorrow may bring. What future is there for us, waiting for us, perhaps mocking us, beyond the void of time? Is it a good one, or a bad one? I find myself struggling to wonder how those terms can still have meaning, in a world where human life is reduced to something abstract, something indefinable and killing can be so easily justified in the name of survival. There can’t be such things as good or bad in a place where everything is grey. People will continue to do what they have to do, and thus the only future that awaits us is one that’s as bleak as the present.–
Irony would be another great descriptor for Sun Bleached Winter. As Lionel and his sister struggle to survive in the wastelands, they also struggle to maintain the humanity that has been burned from the world. Is New City going to be a budding society, or just the shadow of what once was?
Is it medicine that makes a society? Labor? Can it be defined as protection from the marauding hordes of cannibals? Does civilization depend upon which side of the gun you are standing? Beware of the dogs––the marauders sometimes use them to corner their quarry.
–It growls once more, and then unleashes a spine chilling howl, its hind legs tensing behind it, preparing to pounce forward and take its prey. Panicked, I feel through the snow beside me with my left hand, praying that I’ll find the cold, familiar shape of the revolver waiting for me. The dog starts barking furiously and then it charges, running at me with lightning speed. I close my eyes, preparing for the sharp fangs to drill into my face, when I finally feel the grip of the handgun, already starting to sink into the deep snow.–
Action is quite challenging to write. For the most part, I felt D. Robert Grixti’s execution of action was done with great agility as a first time author. As you saw, that last passage offered fantastic visualization. Most of the action in Sun Bleached Winter held tension, but in a few instances it faltered a little. Nothing to fret over, as Mr. Grixti evolves as a writer, those hiccups will pass.
For the most part the editing was solid. There were a few words inserted that weren’t quite right. I found “Illegible” where it should have been “Unintelligible,” there was one or two other not-quite-correct words placed throughout the text. Another petty comment from me, the ending seemed a little over the top. I do not want to spoil the stories ending, it was very well plotted. Without saying too much, I still wonder if one character’s onset of madness was necessary in context to the greater picture. Read this tale, tell me if you disagree with that observation. I was still wearing a grim smile as I closed the book on this dark gem.
All in all, I enjoyed this novella. Sun Bleached Winter is a quick, fresh read, artistically written well enough to start fun dialogue between readers.
I’d been given a copy of this novella in exchange for a balanced review.
This interview was provided from my last guest, Lee Mather. To find him…
http://www.leemather.org.uk
http://leemather.livejournal.com
http://www.facebook.com/mather.lee
1) What is your working title of your book? 
I am currently working on the third book in the Heretic Series. Its name is so cool I’m keeping it under my hat until I get a nod from my publisher. It is such a secret that not even my wife knows the name.
However, Crossing Mother’s Grave is getting great reviews from a plethora of sources.
2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
Rising from the darkness of my subconscious is as good a guess as any other.
The third book continues Popalia’s quest, she and her band of survivors from Crossing Mother’s Grave are closing on the thief, Thorgen. He is cornered somewhere in the Portown of Magistrey. Meanwhile a Lycanthropic Pirate and his sadist crew are raging up and down the coast. Their paths are inevitably going to cross and when it does, it is going to be ugly.
3) What genre does your book fall under? 
It is categorized as dark fantasy, but wields a fast-paced action adventure feel to it. It is quite sharp.
4) Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Emma Stone would easily fit the role for Popalia. Because the characters are so young, most of the actors would also need to be newer. Russell Crowe would make an excellent Randel Grenier, who is the central villain.
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Violent pirates become an acute pain in our heroes’ asses.
6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
My first two books were published through Damnation Books, a small publishing house based in Northern California. I’m hoping the third in series will also find a traditional publisher.
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 
I’m still writing this one. My second book, Crossing Mother’s Grave, came out less than three months ago and it took about nine months until I was happy with it.
8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
No one, I write my own books, not someone else’s. JRR Tolkien was very inspirational. Ray Bradbury, Steven King and Robert E. Howard also contributed to my idea, but this story is mine.
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
God? The Devil? Maybe it was Sigmund Freud’s Id, I really don’t know.
In all truth, it was an old friend of mine from my college days. Fifteen years ago he had an idea to write twin novels. It would be one story, but told from two different perspectives. It was an awesome idea, but he quit writing his half––I didn’t.
In fact, his idea of multi-dimensional story-telling has become cornerstone in my series.
10) What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I recommend wearing a helmet and a five point lap-strap when reading my books. They are a rush once they start rolling. Oh, and keep your limbs in the car at all times.
I’m showing free samples over here….yes, free.
I’ve spotlighted a couple other authors for everyone to keep an eye out for—Jeremy Kline, author of Lazarus Cain, Dina Rae (She was my guest a few posts back,) D. Robert Grixti – whose first novella is being published by Damnation Books on Dec. 1st 2012. Last and not least, from the Fading Light anthology, watch for Peter Welmerink and Tim Baker.
