Book Review: Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

July 01, 2022 by Joe Gray in Book Review

I almost stopped reading this book after I started the introduction and became bored and uninterested. The book is written as if it is a translation of an ancient text and the introduction attempts to ground this fiction in a plausible history with an explanation of its fictional writer and the controversies around the “text’s” authenticity and accuracy. This is fun if you care about the completely made-up backstory to a completely made-up story but I wasn’t interested. I’m glad I picked it back up and skimmed through the first couple of chapters because once the Northmen are introduced the book really takes off and is one of my favorite books so far.

Book Review: Devils in the Confessional by Channing Cornwall

June 08, 2022 by Joe Gray in Book Review

Devils in the Confessional is the third installment of the Western Sins trilogy written by Channing Cornwall, who happens to be my friend. In this, the final book in the western genre series, we meet up with Joseph Abernathy from the second book in the series Breathed out by God who is in a pickle in the freshly dug mining town of Opelance, Oregon in the late 1800s. The Coffin Killers, led by one mean smooth talkin' sumbitch by the name of Coffin Kain, have taken over the town in an effort to extort money from its citizens and its founder Benjamin Fink. In an effort to rid the town of these wretched curs Joseph Abernathy and three other men ride out one night to find the men he thinks can help, the saviors of Serenity Ridge, Isaac Teller, and Kemal Hajara from Breathed out by God as well.

Book Review: Hell Came With Her by Channing Cornwall

June 08, 2022 by Joe Gray in Book Review

To start this review I want to be upfront about my bias for this book. It is written by one of my best friend's Channing Cornwall. He is an incredible person and his passion and commitment to writing are inspiring. He has written four novels, at least one play, a collection of poetry and a collection of short stories. That being said this is my favorite piece of his writing yet.

Book Review: The Acolyte by Nick Cutter

April 06, 2022 by Joe Gray in Book Review

The Acolyte takes place in the dystopian city of New Bethlehem, a city much like modern-day New York or Chicago except that the governing body is controlled by a religious totalitarian regime that has made any deviation from Christian ethics a criminal offense. In order to combat crimes against the faith, they have created an enforcement agency with authority above all others. Jonah Murtag is one of these agents and he is 'The Acolyte' we follow throughout this terrifying tale of tyranny, treachery, and intrigue.

Book Review: Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert

March 15, 2022 by Joe Gray in Book Review

Heretics of Dune is the fifth entry into the epic Dune saga and boy this was a difficult one to get into. Heretics takes place 1500 years or so after the events of God Emporer of Dune and all the main characters are long dead. But they are not forgotten. The prophecies and prognostications of Leto II are still at the heart of everything that moves human activity. With the God Emporer's death, humanity lacked direction and took to exploring new parts of the universe. This is called The Scattering and from the splintered pieces come new and powerful factions that are returning to the old realms to take power away from those that have ruled since The Tyrant's long plunge into the watery grave he accepted.

Book Review: The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

December 17, 2021 by Joe Gray in Book Review

I had almost zero expectations going into reading this book other than that Michael Crighton is a great writer and I enjoyed Congo a lot and I enjoyed the Jurassic Park movies. I could tell that it was about some kind of virus as the term "strain" usually means something bad and biological and there are lots of strains of viruses and viruses are on the mind of late. Based on the previous titles I was expecting some kind of action-adventure story but that is not what I found with this book. Instead, I was slowly taken on a cerebral journey through a subtle world of science fiction in a way that I haven't experienced before.