New Book Review - King Sorrow

Name - King Sorrow

Written by - Joe Hill

Narrated by - Ari Fliakos and multiple other voice actors

Published by - William Morrow / Headline 

Audiobook by - William Morrow 

To review a book like 'King Sorrow' is quite difficult, as there is little left to be said about such a much talked about book, and it's still even more difficult comparing it with all the hype that it created as one of the best books of the year. But thankfully, it does deliver on its promises while also having a few minor issues keeping it from archiving perfection.

This is my first read of Joe Hill, and boy can he spin a great tale? Although he did remind me a bit about his father, he created his own unique sense in creating his characters and an epic take spanning a lot of time in their life. The horror elements were among the best parts of the book keeping the readers guessing if the nightmare will ever end.

The most fascinating thing about the book is the characters, who are fleshed so brilliantly, with their unique traits making them feel so relatable despite often not being lovable. Hill kept us guessing at who might or might not survive till the end and ending provided quite an emotional closure to this charismatic cast.

The novel was a hefty one, almost 900 pages in length (26+ hours for me as I listened to the audiobook), could have been easily crafted into a series with its multiple stories at different times in the life of characters doing the unintentional bidding of the King. The whole setting is not explained in detail, keeping a sense of mystery regarding the supernatural element of the book, and the bits of humor dispersed were quite charming.

I have to suggest the reader to try to listen to the audiobook, as the voice acting and sound effects made it that much more visceral, almost making me feel like the dread of facing the dragon at times and being part of the unlucky group of friends.

My little complaints are regarding the slow start and the author not bothering with trimming a bit of the fat, making the experience more streamlined and fast-paced.

In the end, I will give this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

New Book Review - The Hunger by Marsheila Rockwell

Name - The Hunger 

Series - Marvel Zombies 

Written by - Marsheila Rockwell 

Published by - Aconyte Books 

First things first, I got this book from NetGalley, so thank you NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this opportunity.

This certainly had the potential to be a very enjoyable book, with an interesting premise and some promising characters used. But ultimately too much banter and using Deadpool without focusing on his strengths made this one good while yet lasted but almost instantly forgettable upon finishing the reading.

This one deals with the patchwork team of Sanctum Sanctorum librarian, Zelma Stanton, witch Nico Minoru, monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone, and Deadpool coming up with a convoluted plan and trying their best to stop the zombie menace. The characters on offer were quite a well thought out team representing some lesser known Marvel heroines, and throwing in Deadpool had a certain sort of risk. 

The main issue with the book for me was the handling of Deadpool, making it seem like  he was only included for his popularity and used rather half-heartedly. There is also a bit too much banter for my liking and while the prose was a breeze to read I kept wondering when the action would begin.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read but nothing happens that leaves an impression and seemed like the whole excursion by the characters was rather pointless by the end.

3 out of 5 stars from me.

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For more information visit marvel.com. © 2023 MARVEL

Retro Book Review - Hell Hound by Ken Greenhall

Name - Hell Hound 

Written by - Ken Greenhall 

Published by - Valancourt Books 

I never would've even known about this book if I hadn't read about it in 'Paperbacks from Hell's by Grady Hendrix and '101 Horror Books To Read Before You're Murdered' by Sadie Hartmann, so I'll begin with thanking these two great connoisseurs of great horror fiction.

This book is a weird little piece of vintage horror from the late 70's. It has a brilliant mixture of psychological horror interspersed with unusually written creature feature with some soothing yet quite crisp and often frightening prose. His descriptions and dialogue create a sense of unease making the readers think more than comfortable while keeping them interested in what is to come next.

The characters are far from one dimensional and the multiple viewpoints bring that much more depth into the overall experience and sense of unease. I especially loved getting into the mind of Baxter and wished we could get more chapters from his perspective.

The small little twists and unusual actions of the characters kept me entertained till the last chapter and I will most definitely read more from this author in the future.

I will give this one 4.5 out of 5 stars.