Tag Archives: book review

[Book Review] “Dead City” by Joe McKinney

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Dead City by Joe McKinneyDead City opens with odd reports of survivors attacking rescue workers after five powerful hurricanes have pounded the Gulf of Mexico and left the surrounding cities absolutely devastated. Just out of reach of harm’s way, San Antonio, Texas has become a popular safe zone for emergency shelters and evacuees from the destroyed cities. This is where our story begins. Following local police officer Eddie Hudson, Dead City wastes very little time establishing anything aside from a very basic setting and quick introduction of the main character (just enough to let you know that he’s a cop with a wife and new baby son), and instead throws readers into the opening scenes of the zombie apocalypse right away.

Early on in the book I was very unsure of how much I would enjoy it because of how quickly the author puts everything into motion. I don’t mean that it happens too early in the book, but he chose for the first event to pop up suddenly, but had the destruction spread too quickly to be considered logical.

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[Book Review] “Resident Evil: Caliban Cove” by S.D. Perry

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Over nine long months ago I published our most recent book review for one Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy, and immediately after I started reading Caliban Cove, which is the second book in the series and the first ever all original novel based on the outstanding series of video games. No, that’s not a typo. I’ve been reading this book for nine months. Many of you may know that nine months is also the amount of time a woman holds a fetus in her womb.

That’s also a long time to read a single book; especially a 200-page book written by a science fiction author who specializes in adapting popular franchises into novel form. It really shouldn’t have taken me so long, especially considering I read the final 100 pages earlier today. There are really two main reasons it took so long. Number 1: I took it to work and left it in my locker, only sporadically reading it on breaks. Number 2: It was pretty boring.

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[Book Review] “Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy” by S.D. Perry

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The Umbrella Conspiracy was the first entry in a series of novels based on the popular Resident Evil video games that eventual reached a length of seven books. The original Resident Evil game for the PlayStation, the title this book is based on, is one of the greatest and most influential video games of all time, so it’s obvious that gamers (such as myself) have pretty high expectations for a novelization of the game.

Of course, life is full of disappointments.

About a week after I read Zero Hour (review), the series prequel which I rather enjoyed, I decided to pursue the series and read more of S.D. Perry’s RE novelizations. When I picked up The Umbrella Conspiracy, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what kind of quality to expect based on my experience with Zero Hour: a mostly faithful, largely nostalgic novelization of one of my favorite games that manages to hold my attention and entertain me throughout the experience.

While almost exactly what I wanted, The Umbrella Conspiracy still manages to disappoint on multiple levels.

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[Book Review] I Am 8-Bit (Jon M. Gibson)

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07675#8Bit_Cover_mech.inddOverview:

Good art comes from artists with strong emotional inspiration, and there is nothing more powerful than nostalgic feelings of childhood. “I Am 8-Bit” is a compilation of works from various artists who drew inspiration from their memories of drowning themselves in the fantastic fantasy worlds only video games could provide. Continue reading →

[Book Review] “Everything Hurts” by Bill Scheft

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everything-hurtsOverview:

I have long admired the work of Bill Scheft as the head writer of “The Late Show With David Letterman,” a program I have watch nightly for many years. However, it wasn’t until recently I discovered he was a renowned author, and despite how much I have bragged in previous posts as being a vast appreciator of literature, truth be told I really only take the time to read between five and ten books a year.

But when I saw Scheft promoting his latest book “Everything Hurts” on Letterman recently, it sounded like a story I would grasp onto. And I am always up for discussing topics that make me seem of a higher breed of intellect, so if you have been bothered by my recent outburst of literary prowess, tough luck, fuckers. I’m doing it again. Continue reading →

“Resident Evil: Zero Hour” by S.D. Perry (Book Review)

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Overview:

As far as I’m concerned, the Resident Evil series has one of the most engaging stories of any gaming franchise around. The characters and settings are always growing and evolving into something bigger and better, the plot is gripping and enthralling. Oh, and there are zombies. Once you enter the Resident Evil universe you will never want to leave, all thanks to the beloved and believable cast of characters and interesting plot. But a video game can only tell a story in a certain level of depth and detail.

resident-evil-zero-hour-bookEnter the Resident Evil novels published by Pocket Star Books and written by S.D. Perry, best known for her work on the Star Trek novels. There are six volumes in all, ranging from 0 – 5 and chronicling the story from Resident Evil Zero all the way through Code: Veronica far more in-depth than the games would ever allow. Resident Evil: Zero Hour, the topic of this review, is the novelization of, you guessed it, Resident Evil Zero, the series prequel which tells the story of the first foray into the Arklay Mountains by the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team. Continue reading →

Review: Twilight (by Stephanie Meyer)

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twilight book coverOverview:

Alright, we had a complaint a while ago about not having a lot of literature. Well I took one for the team (call me gay, but you wouldn’t be the first) and read Twilight. I didn’t have a problem reading it, though. It was actually a pretty good book and a twist on what people used to call horror (Vampires). Now that the movie is out everyone is pretty aware about what this book has to do with although there are minor differences as with any book to movie.

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