Five Star Review for Stormwreck

This is a  lovely review for STORMWRECK that was just posted. Thank you to Lorraine for taking the time.

 

"5.0 out of 5 stars Be prepared..., 14 Feb 2012

By 

This review is from: Stormwreck (Kindle Edition)

Going through all of Darren Humphries books to select the one I was going to read first, I went for Stormwreck as it was the one that was most likely to appeal to me, as I like everything weird and spooky. I thought I'd familiarise myself with the writer by reading something from my favourite genre before moving on to something sci-fi or humoristic. I was even more enthusiastic at the idea of reading it as other group members who had read it and who knew my tastes in books thought it was a book for me. And boy were they right !

What really stuck me with this book, is how it doesn't give the feeling of being "fast-paced" somehow. You would think the fact that the events happen over a few hours only (and there are quite a few things going on), all on a background of violent storm, would give the book a very rapid rhythm, but instead I found that the main feeling was that of oppressiveness, of gloom, something that makes you feel claustrophobic even though you're there, with all the characters, on a beautiful Cornish cove.

That said, you can't help but notice how the story builds up with the storm, how the evil grows, how scared the villagers become, and how more and more drawn-in you become as a reader.

This book is definitely a different experience from what I've had so far. You don't get excited as such to get to know what happens at the end, you want to get there because you want that feeling to end, that weight to lift off, you want to disperse that cloud of mystery. It could be very easy I guess to write a novel that would just state the facts, but I think the whole atmosphere thing is created with skill, and is what sets this book apart from the other horror/mystery/paranormal books I've read in my life.

It's all very hard to explain, it's really something you really need to feel for yourself ! "

Four star review for TO INFINITY (and maybe that's far enough)

This review was posted earlier for TO INFINITY (and maybe that's far enough):

"4.0 out of 5 stars Nice to see Science fiction can still be fun., 7 Feb 2012

By 

G. Robbins "Miles of Smiles" (Cheshire, UK)

  

  

   

 

This review is from: To Infinity (and maybe that's far enough) (Kindle Edition)

I'd been hearing good things about Darren Humphries work for some time now and, on that basis, decided to give one of his books a spin. I've always been a science fiction fan, as my groaning bookshelves will attest, so this title came as the ideal starting point.

Mr Humphries has written this book with a Douglas Adams / Terry Pratchett voice. In that respect it has succeeded very well. The interplay between the characters is sharp and entertaining at every point. The story moves along well and there is plenty of enjoyable dialogue.

For the most part I really enjoyed this book, but, and there is a but, something happened to the end. Everything was going wonderfully until it got to 97%. I think the problem with this book is that the enemy is too good. There is a fine line between the hero being cornered and being able to fight his way out and the same hero being painted into a corner. I felt this was the case with this book, where the author had succeeded with the painting, thrown away the brush and decided to have the wall demolished from the other side by the next door neighbour.

I know this is going to sound odd, but don't let the ending stop you reading this book, it really is a treat. There were times when I cursed the end of my lunch break as I was enjoying myself so much. On a number of occasions, I was howling out loud with laughter and annoying my colleagues by insisting on reading out sections of dialogue.

On that basis, I'm going to have to knock off a star for the ending, otherwise it would have got a perfect score. If you are a Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett fan, you'll feel very at home with this Darren Humphries book and enjoy it immensely."

That's a detailed review, so thanks for taking the time to review it.

E books I have read - Quantum Of Tweed: The Man With The Nissan Micra

The title made me smile and the blurb made this a must buy.

A James Bond pastiche in a very British style, I honestly thought I was going to laugh my socks off when I bought it, but in the end I didn't. What I did do was a smile a lot and that's certainly not something to be sneezed at. Of course, if you don't remember who Bonnie Tyler is then a lot of the humour here is going to be wasted on you.

It's short and the ending felt far too rushed as though trying to come in under a word count or something, but I've had less fun with longer books also marketed as funny.

Moderate your expectations and you'll have a good (short) time.

Five Star Review for The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. - The Curious Case Of The Kidnapped Chemist

The first of the Man From U.N.D.E.A.D books - The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D - The Curious Case Of The Kidnapped Chemist received this nice review on Amazon.co.uk recently:

"This review is from: The Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. - The Curious Case Of The Kidnapped Chemist (Kindle Edition)

I absolutely loved this read. I was engrossed from the moment I started reading it and had to find a day where I could sit and just read so as to find out what happens!
I loved Ward's character and his humour. There was, for me, a lot of laugh out loud moments entwined with action and suspense, which kept me guessing as to who was behind all of the goings on!
I am looking forward to the next in the series and for reading more offerings from Darren Humphries.

by emzibah"

So thanks very to emzibah for taking the time to say that they liked it.