Category Archives: status & class

2014, action, adventure, ARC review, Book Review, death, mystery, new adult, romance, science-fiction, speculative fiction, standalone, status & class, supernatural, suspense, thriller

[Review] The Furies: A Thriller – Mark Alpert

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Book Title:                   The Furies: A Thriller (Standalone)
Author:                           Mark Alpert
Number of pages:    320

Synopsis:The Furies - Mark Alpert

For centuries, the Furies have lived among us. Long ago they were called witches and massacred by the thousands. But they’re human just like us, except for a rare genetic mutation that they’ve hidden from the rest of the world for hundreds of years.

Now, a chance encounter with a beautiful woman named Ariel has led John Rogers into the middle of a secret war among the Furies. Ariel needs John’s help in the battle between a rebellious faction of the clan and their elders. The grand prize in this war is a chance to remake the human race.

Mark Alpert’s The Furies weaves cutting-edge science into an ingenious thriller, showing how a simple genetic twist could have inspired tales of witchcraft and sorcery, and how the paranormal could indeed be possible.

(re: Goodreads @ The Furies: A Thriller by Mark Alpert)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:

– A “chase-thriller” with a variety of fast-paced action sequences involving guns and explosives, a ferryboat, and many bullet ants.
– Despite romance driving the protagonists actions and the synopsis sounding as if it’s a paranormal romance… it’s not.
– Speculative-fiction that considers a variant genome which has caused disparity and civil unrest between the genders of the Furies.
– Generally immaculate world building that gives nod to historical timelines and paints a realistic landscape of various settings.
– Narrative pacing is a hit or miss as perspectives change between major and minor characters.

Initial Thoughts:

Sooooo…the Salem Witch Trials lay the groundwork for this mixed grab bag of witchy woo-woo speculative fiction which isn’t as paranormal as I initially thought. To be frank, I thought the Furies were the name for a species or something. Nope, it’s actually a family lineage. With the tagline of being a thriller, its success is a toss-up erring on the side of being flat through the course of its journey. While not a disastrous read by any means, there is a considerable nod given toward historical attributions emphasized by differing societies concerning the unordinary superstitious behaviours of [insert-your-religion-of-choice-here]. With this in mind, it isn’t executed to the potential that I thought it could have been. But the cover is kind of rad though.

Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of The Furies: A Thriller through NetGalley for an honest review. I extend my thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing me the opportunity to review this book.

Disclaimer: There may be spoilers inherent to this review from this point onward.

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2013, australia, Book Review, coming of age, contemporary, cultural, sexuality, standalone, status & class

[Review] Barracuda – Christos Tsiolkas

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Book Title:                         Barracuda (Standalone)
Author:                                Christos Tsiolkas
Number of pages:         528

Synopsis:christos tsiolkas - barracuda (cover)

“He asked the water to lift him, to carry him, to avenge him. He made his muscles shape his fury, made every stroke declare his hate. And the water obeyed; the water would give him his revenge. No one could beat him, no one came close.”

His whole life Danny Kelly’s only wanted one thing: to win Olympic gold. Everything he’s ever done – every thought, every dream, every action – takes him closer to that moment of glory, of vindication, when the world will see him for what he is: the fastest, the strongest and the best. His life has been a preparation for that moment.

His parents struggle to send him to the most prestigious private school with the finest swimming program; Danny loathes it there and is bullied and shunned as an outsider, but his coach is the best and knows Danny is, too, better than all those rich boys, those pretenders. Danny’s win-at-all-cost ferocity gradually wins favour with the coolest boys – he’s Barracuda, he’s the psycho, he’s everything they want to be but don’t have the guts to get there. He’s going to show them all.

“He would be first, everything would be alright when he came first, all would be put back in place. When he thought of being the best, only then did he feel calm.”

(an excerpt re: Goodreads @ Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
  • A coming of age story with converging perspectives to recount the then and now of Daniel Kelly’s life.
  • Prose is expertly versed, imaginative and evocative, even if long-winded.
  • Characters are brutally honest, real, and provoke both negative/positive emotions.
  • The plotting is seemingly basic but manages to capture a variety of genres.
Initial Thoughts:

I am perplexed.

But what I am sure of is that I’m a bit disappointed that the book cover (and its title by proxy) could have made me believe that this kid had some pseudo-merman powers or the like. Seriously.

However, the synopsis is certainly poignant. And if the blurb is of indication of the writing in this book then you’re certainly a winner for picking this book up because everything is meticulously described. To expand upon this point: you just didn’t somehow load up this blog (although that is cool beans as well)—no, that would be too easy… through the reflection of the backlit screen your eyes graze a query into the deepest desires for knowledge. A white manifestation of your soul skeptically hovers, looming, unsure, and you begin to wonder what the heck I’m talking about now…) Yeah, that’s my take on how overbearing and fluffy some descriptions tended to be. But I guess there’s substance in that so I can’t complain that much.

I will admit: I don’t usually gravitate towards novels fixated on a cultural-contemporary nature. Actually, I don’t remember how I came across Barracuda in the first place. But with Sochi (and Olympic feels) rapidly approaching, I felt this to be a great fit to explore the battle of an athlete’s mentality; and all of the inherent struggles and fix-ins that came with it.

Let’s dive right in.

Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review have been minimized with exceptions to quotes.

 

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