Survive The Cursed by Ashton Abbott; The End is A Monster Mash-Up

 

Survive The Cursed by Ashton Abbott; The End is A Monster Mash-Up

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: There have been many Post-Apocalyptic works of fiction that predict the future will be overrun with supernatural monsters that will destroy humans and become the dominant species. Zombies are the most frequent survivors. Vampires have also had a shot at living forever in the Post-Apocalyptic wasteland. Occasionally, werecreatures and very rarely witches and other magic users come out to play in these future games. Well, Survive The Cursed seems like a novel length explanation that the author , Ashton Abbott couldn't decide which monsters to be the primary antagonists, so she decided on all of them.

In the future, humanity is reduced to living in enclaves on abandoned areas like Avery Winters does with her parents and other assorted humans in what used to be Eglin Air Force Base on the Florida panhandle. On a personal note, my father was in the Air Force and we lived in Eglin for a time from 1985-1987. I attended elementary school grades 2-4 there, so it is a fascinating and eerie experience reading about and imagining a place that I once lived becoming part of a Post-Apocalyptic universe. But I digress.

Anyway, Avery and the other humans hunt for monsters and kill them in brutal attacks. They study the movements, strengths, and weaknesses of witches, zombies, vampires, and werecreatures, find out where they are located, and kill or imprison them before they attack the humans. 

It's a difficult life and Avery has grown jaded and used to the constant fight against these monsters. She is old enough to remember life before the monsters, usually through minor things like eating cereal, wearing different clothes, or going to school or friend's houses. That's all gone as humanity has almost completely been wiped out except in small pockets and everyone has to fight and struggle to survive. 

Fighting for survival is such a new normal for Avery, that she is deprived of empathy, understanding, or compassion. She is so driven to kill the monsters that she ironically has lost her own humanity. She ignores the medical experiments that her father performs on the monsters that are captured. She vows that if one of her fellow soldiers is transformed into a monster, she would kill them without a second thought. She demonstrates this during an assignment when a couple of her closest friends are attacked by zombies and become zombies themselves. 

Avery only sees the monsters as cardboard adversaries until she is assigned guard duty over the imprisoned monsters. She is forced to look her enemies in the eye and converse with them. She particularly captures the interest of Whitney, a saucy temperamental Witch who wants to go down fighting and Mattias, an enigmatic and calm Vampire who wants to plead his case to his captors. 

The longer that Avery talks to and listens to her captives' perspective, doubt enters her mind. She questions the purpose of her fellow human’s, particularly her father's motives with his experiments. Avery admires Whitney's defiance and tenacity and is drawn to Mattias’s charismatic personality and almost human appearance. 

Before the monsters were a monolith, something easily destroyed and disposed of. Now she has to concede that they have names, identities, families, emotions, personalities, and possess admirable traits that she never considered. 

A twist occurs that causes Avery to challenge everything that she once believed. She is ostracized and her concept of friends and enemies have reversed. She sees humanity in those she thought of as monsters and monstrosity in those she thought of as human. It makes one wonder if there is any real distinction between human and supernatural characters and where the monsters begin and end. 

  

Beyond Tomorrow's Sun by Ronald McGuire; Involved Account of a Young Science Fiction Hero

 Beyond Tomorrow's Sun by Ronald McGuire; Involved Account of a Young Science Fiction Hero

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Ronald McGuire’s Beyond Tomorrow's Sun is not by any means a long book, but through the exhaustive journey of its protagonist, it covers in only a few short years what seems like a lifetime.

Charles begins his story in a post-Apocalyptic world when unexpected circumstances force him to go on the run far from his negligent uncle, his only remaining blood relative. He survives in the wilderness with his newly found dog, Katie. Charles’ travels take him to a nearby city where he reunites Katie with her former owner’s parents, Henry and Rose Bimmey. When they hear about Charles’ history and especially about the lack of care from his uncle, Henry and Rose decide to adopt Charles. The young boy matures and falls in love with Becca, a scientist's daughter. He then enlists in the Space Force and takes to the stars where he has to face war, hostile colonists, ruthless space pirates, unstable fellow soldiers, the potential destruction of Earth, and relocation to another world. 

Like I said a lot happens to this young man. So much so that the book shifts through various genres and subgenres to tell different aspects of Charles’ story. The first half is an Apocalyptic survivalist novel which puts him against natural elements and the harsh wilderness. While there, he learns many of the things that become useful later on in his Space Force career. 

Earlier, he was appalled watching an acquaintance get killed in front of him. While on the run, he ends up killing someone in defense of himself and Katie. He realizes that sometimes people have to do tough things to protect those around them. Survival sometimes requires the breaking of previous codes. Whether it's right or wrong, in a dangerous situation, one doesn't always have the luxury of thinking before acting.

That's not to say that Charles becomes a thoughtless machine who only acts on impulse. In fact, he retains a great deal of thought and understanding when he enters the city. This turns the book from one person's struggle and survival into a coming of age story about him finding a family, romance, a path in life, and a sense of belonging.

 He protects and cares for Katie on his own so she is able to lead him to her family. Charles gives The Bimmeys crucial information that he remembered through observation and navigation about their missing son. He also shares their grief, compassion, and tenderness so well that he is instantly accepted as one of the family.

He also finds love with Becca and a higher sense of purpose. Originally, Charles was someone who did not fully understand science or sociopolitical structure. He was interested in joining the Space Force, basically to get off the planet. But after listening to and understanding Becca's family’s interest in wormholes, he begins to study the sciences connected to them. He also recognizes both his and Becca's family's connections to political and military leaders and the way they think and operate. These studies become crucial to his experience in attending the Space Force.

 After his journey through Space Force, the book becomes a high tech Science Fiction Military Thriller and contains some of the more thrilling sections in it. His studies, survival instincts, and understanding of how other people think, feel, and react help him get promoted at young ages. They especially come into play when he has to weigh whether he should understand the point that rebellious colonists make against the Earth government or treat them like an enemy that must be destroyed before they destroy him and his crew.

Charles also gains a firm grasp and understanding in the minds of his adversary’s minds in dealing with pirate Gemma Chang. She is an alluring elegant beguiling figure with an analytical understanding of others’ actions and plans so Charles has to outfight and outthink her to take the advantage. On a personal note, I found Gemma Chang a fascinating and intriguing character and would love to learn more about her. Perhaps, McGuire could create a spin-off or a short work about her exploits and journey to space piracy.

The Space Force chapters lead into the final act, where the book becomes an Interstellar Travel which involves saving humanity from self destruction. This is where Charles’ survival skills, intellect, Space Force training, empathy, amd understanding-everything that he has learned has to come into play because he not only has to find a new world but survive in it. It's a parallel to his first journey in which he had to travel into the wilderness with a trusted companion. Here he has to do the same but on another planet where the landscape is completely unknown. It seems as though everything in Charles’ life led to this path and destination.

The various pieces of the book fit to create a mosaic of Charles' ascension into adulthood, leadership, and founder of a new world.

The Last Invention The Day Death Died by Diane Lilli; Echoes of Resilience: Stories to Inspire by Nabraj Lama; Cooee Baby by Charles Moberly

 The Last Invention The Day Death Died by Diane Lilli; Echoes of Resilience: Stories to Inspire by Nabraj Lama; Cooee Baby by Charles Moberly 

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

The Last Invention: The Day Death Died by Diane Lilli 

This is a short review. The full review is on LitPick.

The Last Invention is a sharp and brilliant commentary on the overabundance of technology and the potential sentience of AI. It is also an insightful and compelling character study about two sisters dealing with grief and loss while exploring their different experiences with and views on the AI. 

In the near future, MetaX Tech Guru Clive presents the first sentient AI that creates a virtual world that is as close to the real one as possible. For now, Clive needs some human guinea pigs to test and enter into the AI. One of the testers is Amanda Carducci. Amanda's son, Dylan has died and she suffers from intense grief. She quickly signs up if it means reuniting with Dylan in the AI world and shutting out the real one. Amanda's activist sister, Emily, however is outside the system trying to uncover the ulterior motives and potential harm that this new technology will bring. One sister embraces the virtual world while the other tries to save her and bring her back to the real one.

It definitely is a Science Fiction dystopian novel that says just as much about our times as it does about the near future. Clive is clearly meant to be a composite of Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and especially Elon Musk, tech CEOs with a lot of money, a lot of intelligence, and a lot of ego. 

The Last Invention gives us two sisters who represent the different sides of the AI vs. Real debate. Emily represents the real world. Emily worries about the docile addicted shell that her sister is turning into and the physical torture that her body is going through. She sees that this isn't just happening to Amanda. It's happening all over. She's on the outside choosing to live a life of reality and wants to free her sister from her passive accepting prison.

Amanda represents the AI and is understandable within her grief. Who wouldn't want a do over and have a deceased loved one back, even if they aren't a completely real one? Who wouldn't want to live a better life of one's choosing? It may not be a full life but it is one that provides soothing comfort and an escape.

 It's this fascinating dichotomy in which different perspectives are given equal time that make this book memorable. It asks difficult questions about when AI hits will you submit to it or fight against it?

Echoes of Resilience: Stories to Inspire by Nabraj Lama 

Nabraj Lama’s book Echoes of Resilience: Stories to Inspire, is an inspirational book filled with stories to encourage Readers to work hard, prepare, be innovative, help others, and use their gifts wisely to achieve not only outward success but personal happiness.

Each story follows the same pattern: One page gives us the moral or main lesson. The next page features a short five paragraph story about someone faced with some sort of conflict, how they dealt with that problem by displaying or not displaying certain virtues and then what the results were.

One example is “Learning from the past is the beginning; applying it to shape the future is the goal.” Lama then penned a story about a wise man who was known for his sage advice and recall of the village’s history. He was challenged by a local boy about why he didn't use his wisdom to help fix current problems concerning the village now. 

The wise man changed his outlook and became more proactive towards current issues. The lesson is while it's great to study and learn about the past and research information, it's more important to use that vast knowledge to address the world around you.

Many of the stories are about people who struggled with their scholastic or career pursuits. One called “Challenge your past and prepare for your future.” A junior drafter was upset about his stagnating career. A life coach advised him to improve on what he did yesterday. The drafter focused on enhancing his daily work, improving his skills, and becoming more organized. 

Eventually, the drafter improved his position and received accolades from his employers and peers. The takeaway is there is always room for improvement and one must be humble enough to recognize those spots and work towards fixing them.

Some of these stories are similar to fairy tales because they feature two characters, one who follows a good path and the other who doesn't with the former being successful and the latter being met with misfortune. 

One such story has the lesson of “Build your identity on your own aspirations, not on societal expectations.” One of a pair of brothers embraced the conventional path forced on him by his community and family. The other was often misunderstood and seen as rebellious. He had a unique vision and his own aspirations. 

The conventional son lived a solid life but always chose the safe path, never standing out. The iconoclastic son studied in a specialized field and explored innovative ways, enhancing his unique interests. His dedication led to success not just within his community but within the nation. While convention has its merits, sometimes one has to take risks and do something different to make their mark.

Sometimes the stories don't have a happy ending. They aren't depressing in that the experience that the protagonist faced was a learning one and they can use that lesson to make better decisions in the future. But they are faced with disappointments and setbacks all the same. 

One story begins with “Avoid dwelling on trivialities to the extent that you lose sight of what's truly important.” It tells of an art master at a prestigious institution who was noted as a great instructor who inspired students to embrace their creativity. Overtime, he became absorbed in the inconsequential details of the school like itemizing expenses, managing staff behaviors, and handling administrative tasks, things that he could have delegated to others. 

Because of this, the instructor's teaching suffered and the quality of his instruction diminished. The board, noticing the decline in his teaching and classroom size, relieved him of his duties. The message is not to absorb oneself with mundane tasks that take away from the main one. Trust others to do them and keep focused.

In a true example of “experience being its own teacher,” Lama himself has a story of his own in a chapter called “Ordinary efforts do not yield extraordinary results.” Lama explained how he worked on his manuscript for years. He edited and rejected his book and received nothing but rejection. Undaunted, he sought advice from other authors, colleagues, peers, writer's guides, and Readers. He took their advice and made his writing clear and precise. 

Lama wrote articles on the Internet and received different perspectives that gave him a sharper focus on his work. Within two months, Lama's book had greatly improved with collective wisdom and a refined purpose. The publishers recognized the effort and the book was accepted. This story reminds us to never be afraid to reach out and ask for advice, even refine our approach and voice, to truly make a lasting impact and success.

Echoes of Resilience is a lovely and compassionate book that reminds us that everyone has a story in which they struggled. They may have succeeded and they might not have. But they always learned something.

Cooee Baby by Charles Moberly 

Cooee Baby by Charles Moberly is an intriguing captivating book about a protagonist who thinks that she knows everything until she is put into a situation where she realizes that she knows absolutely nothing.

Awhina Fernandez, who sometimes goes by the name Athena, is a woman of great intelligence, plenty to say, and a large ego. She does not get along with her indifferent father and her intrusive mother, the latter of whom she calls, “The T-Rex.” She's a Cambridge student who majors in astrophysics. After graduation and before she begins her PhD studies, Awhina goes with her mother on a cruise around Indonesia and is cast asea during a diving mishap in the Straits of Sundabang. She finds herself stranded in West Papua and is caught in between two warring tribes, the Walukek and Suamu. She has to find the inner strength and resilience to survive in a world where her intelligence and education don't mean anything. 

Cooee Baby has an interesting premise with a protagonist who is not always likeable. Awhina is the worst kind of academic who is fixated, insufferable, and extremely arrogant. 

While a student, she brags about her arguments with her professors where she insists that she's right and everyone else is an idiot. She has self-deprecating moments concerning her name which is often mispronounced and her appearance which some think of as Polynesian and makes her stand out. She sets herself higher than everyone around her so she has few friends and lovers. She insults everyone around her in a way that is not self-aware but is instead ingratiating.

 Granted, Awhina is diagnosed with Asperger's and she marks the symptoms point by point but it doesn't help make her beyond a character sketch of those symptoms without giving her depth beyond them. At times, this Reader wanted her to shut up.

Awhina comes into her own when she is stranded in West Papua. There are comic scenes where since she doesn't speak the language, she uses cultural references and a variety of movements like the haka to communicate with the tribes. She displays some creativity and survival instincts to think on her feet. She bonds with many of the people on the island such as a visiting anthropologist and a female villager, the latter of whom almost becomes a love interest.

Awhina also becomes aware that her actions have consequences. She plays the part of a mythological figure from their legends and gets off on their worship and obedience to her every word. She is told that this is a dangerous move because they might respect her when things are great but will turn against her when things go wrong. She pays no heed to that warning until it happens and she is put into danger. It becomes a huge blow to an ego that needed to get a little bruised before she learned something. It is through this experience that she becomes a better, more enlightened person who learns through failure as much as success.

The ending somewhat drags as Awhina deals with the instant fame that her story brings. At times, she falls back to some of her earlier character flaws but she also acts as a bridge between the person that she was to the person that she becomes.

New Book Alert: Voodoo Warning by R.E. Wood; Thriller About Plane Crashes and Zombies Is Reminiscent of 1970’s Films

New Book Alert: Voodoo Warning by R.E. Wood; Thriller About Plane Crashes and Zombies Is Reminiscent of 1970’s Films





By Julie Sara Porter


Bookworm Reviews





Spoilers: R.E. Wood’s horror novel, Voodoo Warning is reminiscent of those old disaster and horror films from the 1970’s. It doesn't have much in the way of deep characterization or themes beyond mere survival. But it makes up for that in genuine suspense, graphic description, and the kind of thrills that you expect from this kind of book.

The book begins on a passenger airplane in the 1970’s. It has many of the standard characters you expect in such a story: the stalwart Colonel with his fed-up wife, the doctor who is conveniently on board in case they need a medical emergency, the arguing couple and the hippy couple (this is the ‘70’s), and the hero caught in a love triangle between an innocent naive college student and a sharp tongue experienced school teacher, and of course the crew: the gorgeous flight attendant, the handsome pilot, and the loyal co-pilot. The characters are pretty flat. They are more like plot devices for the thrills and horrors to happen to them rather than people who are suffering because scary horrible and things are happening to them.


This is one of those books where the plane no sooner takes off than you know it's going to crash.

And crash it does. It crashes in the uncharted areas of Peru. The first couple of chapters make the Reader think this is going to be a survival story somewhere between Lord of the Flies and The Poseidon Adventure in which the survivors pull together and


find a way out becoming either closer because of the journey or turning on each other brutally. Unfortunately, the disappearing corpses (not to mention) the book's title) lead the book into horror-zombie territory.

There are genuine chapters that produce chills particularly when the characters enter a creepy mansion. They are being stalked by a sinister mambo and his bloodthirsty tribe. Yes, uncomfortable stereotyping is present in this novel too. Voodoo practitioners are the antagonists here. Though one character does the Readers a favor by differentiating the Voodoo practiced in this book from the Voodoo practiced in Haiti and New Orleans. However, most of the book features passages this side of Voodoo presented in Hollywood movies. The novel pays as much attention to real life spiritual paths as it does to its characters.

But that's not what is to be looked for or found in this book. Reality and characterization take a back seat to chills and scares. Wood delivers on those. Does he ever.
Many creepy moments occur when the characters are caught inside the mansion with the Mambo outside and they fall prey to creatures floating in and out of the shadows, chanting whispering among the trees, and a deep voice warning them to get out.


Not to mention that many of the characters are equipped with their own personal emotional baggage that already puts them on the edge. Couples fight. Lisa, the naive student has jealous eyes for Mary, the schoolteacher when she and Jim, the hero flirt with each other. Some characters are mourning the deaths of the other crew and passengers.
The atmosphere is scary enough when the creatures are outside allowing the supernatural creatures to creep in slowly with the emotional tension. When the Mambo unleashes his powerful attacks on the survivors, it is graphic and bloody, but almost not as scary as the tension that preceded it.


When the survivors are taken out one by one and some characters are witness to the rituals, it is everything you expect from a horror novel. There is blood here and mutilations there and a native tells the plane crash survivors how his mother died in a ritual when he was young. The chapters with the Voodoo tribe should produce some chilling mental pictures and nightmares.


However, for genuine fear, the build up is scarier than the execution. Sometimes, the creatures in the shadows are more terrifying when they are subtle and left to the imagination than when they are present in all of their gory glory.

Voodoo Warning is an exciting novel even if it's kind of predictable including the end which is one of the most clichéd obvious endings in the genre. But if you want a genuine scare for Halloween, this is a good suggestion for that. However, R.E. Wood wrote novels that are scarier and are better written making them more memorable as well as scarier.