Whisper Down the Lane was written by Clay McLeod Chapman. The book is published by Quirk Books (thanks for sending a copy for review).
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SUMMARY: It was the early 80’s, when a criminal case opened the floodgates of paranoia for both parents and children. A young boy, Sean, was pressured by his mother, police, and a physiatrist to spill his guts about the dark things that happened in his classroom. He draws disturbing images of the events and tells of satanic rituals that took place during class. The confession altered the lives of many individuals.
This novel will blow your socks off!
In 2013, a man named Richard believes his past is better off behind him and forgotten. Not a soul he comes in contact with knows of the horrible things he’d been a part of. However, history has a tendency to repeat itself. Events unravel in Richard’s small town; familiar, unwanted memories rise up to haunt him. These events, if they rise up out of the shadows and into the light, will alter Richards life in the worst possible fashion.
CHARACTERS: With this story, I’m only going to mention one character, Richard. Richard is an art teacher at an elementary school. It seems he’s living his best life now; newly married, soon to be an adoptive father, and he has a great job. Richard is a good guy, full of love and dreams. When distant memories swell up within him, his grasp on reality gets fuzzy, and his sanity starts to slip away.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: This book… is intense! While reading this book, I felt physically ill, I felt anger, I had goosebumps, I felt paranoia, and I felt joy! Chapman absolutely blew me away with this story from beginning to end. The story alternates between two timelines, 1983 & 2013. It’s extremely easy to follow.
The characters, setting, and descriptions are written so well. the author did a fantastic job with the characters thoughts, expressing the hopes, fears and everything else going on the characters head, was very clear; making the characters feel like real people. The dialogue is great, the actions and reactions of the characters are organic, nothing felt forced or cheesy.
The setting was described perfectly. I feel like I’ve been to the town described in the book. Now that I’m a father of three kids, the things that happen in this book are an all new layer of horror. The book raised my anxiety, I legitimately felt horrified by this story. The end of the book just about blew my socks off, it’s soooo good! I can’t wait to see what Chapman has in store for his next book.
The book does have some legitimate life lessons:
Tell the Truth
Don’t force a narrative
Don’t forget the past
Kindness goes a long way
Do I recommend you purchase Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman? I most certainly do!
RATING: I give this novel an A+, I was very pleased with this intense horror novel!
Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel was written by Ian Fleming
SUMMARY: A high stakes game will be played at the Casino Royale in France. Le Chiffre, the financial paymaster of a USSR intelligence organization has been mishandling the agency’s funds. He sought to build his own wealth by investing the organizations money on brothels… which failed. He’s desperate to pull out of debt and clean up his mistakes, by gambling at the Casino Royale. If Le Chiffre fails, he knows the organization he works for, Smersh, will kill him.
The Secret Intelligence Service of a England has sent a double O agent, James Bond, (a good gambler) to face off against Le Chiffre. The goal is to have the enemy lose at the tables. With this victory, the funds of Smersh will be limited, and in turn they will kill off Le Chiffre.
Does Bond pull off a win at the Casino? Will Le Chiffre uncover Bonds identity?
CHARACTERS: With this first book 007 book, I’m going to mention James Bond and Le Chiffre.
James Boned: He’s 007, a double O agent of the SIS, Secret Intelligence Service of England. He takes his job very seriously, it’s a mater of life or death in the occupation as spy. He’s a splendid gambler. He takes risks, unintentionally he lets his guard down, making him vulnerable. He’s a heavy smoker and a womanizer. He is Bond, James Bond.
Le Chiffre: The financial paymaster of a French workman’s union, controlled by a Russian organization known as Smersh. He’s a crumby man with a wild lifestyle. He isn’t in the the best of shape, when it comes to both finances and health. He’s got two loyal body guards and evil side to him.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I was absolutely thrilled with Casino Royale. I never really thought I’d read a James Bond novel, but some friends of mine are always raving about the spy 007. My first exposure to James Bond was the Nintendo 64 game, Goldeneye. I absolutely loved it. I still consider one of the best games ever made. In 2020, I watched the first film, Dr. No, and enjoyed it. So, I picked up Casino Royale and read it in just a few days.
Ian Fleming wrote a fantastic story. At first, I was thinking… how is this book going to be interesting at all? I don’t know anything about gambling, I’ve never really explored spy type books… Yet, I was glued to the pages! I gasped at a few parts, smiled and even sat bolt upright. The tension throughout the book was high. It held my attention and kept the pages turning.
James Bond went through a lot in this story, (the guy smokes nonstop, at one point it says he lit his 70th cigarette of the day). I believe through his ignorance he learned quite a bit about life and how the line between good and evil could shift from hard edged to blurry. The organizations set up are fascinating as well. The villains were vile and written so very well. Smersh, a Russian organization that hunts down traitors and loose ends, is cold and brutal. Some interaction with the group was handled perfectly in the story. This book was a loads of fun to read!
Star Wars: Victory’s Price was written by New York Times Best Selling Author, Alexander Freed. It was published by Del Rey.
Victory’s Price concludes the Alphabet Squadron trilogy.
SUMMARY: After the events that took place in the Cerberon System, the New Republic has the 204th Imperial Unit Shadow Wing mostly on the run playing defense. Between each run in, the 204th strikes its judgment on select Imperial holdouts in the galaxy. Operation Cinder phase II, has begun. The New Republic, specifically the group lead by General Syndulla, is to put an end to the 204th. The mission gets tricky, as it appears there is a mole within Syndulla’s New Republic ship, as well as one within the 204th!
Victory’s Price is a fast paced nail-biting conclusion to the Alphabet Squadron trilogy.
Many twists and turns entangle the opposing sides, all the way up to the epic, final battle of the Republic and the Empire – over the sands of Jakku.
CHARACTERS: The cast of characters is great, I’m only picking two to discuss.
Wyl Lark: He’s been commanding the squadron, and he’s still homesick. He doesn’t have the fight in him anymore. He want’s the war to end and just go home already. His relationship with his unit is on the rocks, but they still have a bond that holds them together, even by the weakest thread. Whyl is the one character that actually made me feel anger and bitter. Alexander Freed’s writing is just too good.
Kairos: She’s always been the odd one, the mysterious female with something going on internally. She’s unique, the mystery continues with Kairos. She’s a hunter, which makes her an excellent tracker.
The desperation for victory or death drives the plot!
Yrica Quell: All I’ll say in this review, is that she surprised me.
Chass Na Chadic: She’s a wild one, after her wild adventure in the Cerberon system, she’s left scarred and emotionally on edge. She’s a bad A, with an attitude, and shows no fear of anyone or anything. She’s my favorite character in this trilogy.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I liked this book. It was mostly everything I was hoping it would be. The last time we saw these characters, they were all put in really tough and surprising situations. That element continues as many of the cast goes through extreme changes and adjustments. By the time the story concludes, I found some of the character arcs satisfying, while some were left open or just a tad too awkward.
Alexander Freed’s writing is outstanding. The novel feels more than just sci-fi/fantasy – it feels real. From the dialogue to the descriptions, every moment was fleshed out nicely. The way Freed creates characters and what he puts them through is just incredible. The war has changed people, there’s no easy walk in the park for anyone, the hero’s suffer. The desperation for victory or death drives the plot!
The book read quickly, not one moment did I feel I was wasting my precious time or drift off from boredom. I was glued to the pages all the way to end! The only negative I have to say, is there is one moment in the end that feels like a “check the box, gotta include that thing” in the story, it came across unnatural and as an afterthought. However, Overall – Victory’s Price is a fast paced nail-biting conclusion to the Alphabet Squadron trilogy. Freed’s brilliance and storytelling ability is just, next level.
Star Wars: Into the Dark was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Claudia Gray. This is the first YA novel within for the High Republic Era.
SUMMARY: Jedi apprentice Reath Silas is to report to his master on the Starlight Beacon, to work out in the outer rim frontier. He has no interest in such a thing, he’d rather stay on Coruscant and work in the archives. As he and a few other Jedi hitch a ride on hired ship, the vessel, they have to pull out of hyperspace as a galactic emergency unfolds.
An old space station is nearby, the vessel makes its way to the space station, along with a few other ships in the area. They will have to stay there until hyperspace is once again safe to travel. While in the station, a darkness is discovered. The Jedi take it upon themselves to remove the darkness, but with a strange twist, the actions taken lead to a new disorderly Jedi, an odd discovery, and frustration.
CHARACTERS: I’m picking two random characters to talk about.
Cohmac Vitas – He’s a Jedi Master, long ago he went on a mission that didn’t go as plan. The mishaps of that mission have a long lasting effect on him. He also has a hard time with the rules of the Jedi Order. The training the Jedi receive to have a lack of emotion and attachment, make him angry.
Affie Hollow – She works for the Byne guild, on board the ship called, the vessel. She lost her parents a long time ago, but was taken in by the leader of the guild. So, some day, Affie would take control of the guild. She finds something unusual on the space station which leads to the discover of shady business going on within the guild.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: This book, was actually pretty disappointing. Every single time I open a Star Wars book, I have high hopes and expect excellent storytelling. I really want to enjoy the book I’m spending all my time on. Claudia Gray normally tells fantastic stories in Star Wars, sadly, this is the exception.
Reading Into the Dark was a chore! The magic of Gray’s storytelling was absent. The characters were bland, the villains were awful (as in unintentionally comical), and the story was absolutely boring. There was a secondary story being told in the book about a past mission by a few of the main characters. It was pointless and a waste of ink. Many parts of the story seem to just skip around details. Descriptions were lacking, but for the most part, dialogue wasn’t too bad.
The High Republic main villains are the Nihil. This book does have the Nihil, which come across as an afterthought without any sort of intimidation or disturbing factor. The other villains in the book, the Drengir, look creepy if you’ve seen the art. They are dumb in this story. If you’ve seen the film/musical of Little Shop of Horrors… you’ve seen the villains. (Yes, the plant villains speak basic.)
Many aspects of the story had potential had they been altered slightly. The twist that unfolds was disappointing and frustrating.
RATING: I give Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark an F. I did not expect this to happen with a Claudia Gray book… I’m sad.
Do I recommend you pick up and read Star Wars: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray? To get the bigger picture on what’s taking place throughout the galaxy during the High Republic, yes. If it your just slightly interested in this era, no.
Star Wars: A Test of Courage was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Justina Ireland. This is the second tale within the High Republic and Era. A Test of Courage is a young readers book and is published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press.
SUMMARY: A few members of the Nihil are at Port Haileap, with a plan to infiltrate the luxury liner ship, the Steady Wing. They want to cause chaos, to instill fear in the republic, and most importantly, to make a name for themselves and impress one of the Tempest Runners, which is one of the leaders in the Nihil.
There are many people on the Steady Wing, all headed to the Starlight Beacon’s opening ceremony. When the Nihil’s plans for the Steady Wing come to fruition, a young group of survivors find themselves alone on a moon, far off from space lanes. The group consists of two young Jedi, the son of the Dalna Ambassador, and another child with the familiar name in the Star Wars comic line, Starros. The group must figure out how to survive on the terrifying moon, and somehow reach out to someone among the stars to rescue them.
Will the youth survive? Will the young Jedi stray from their path and give into fear? What more does the Nihil have planned? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
CHARACTERS: We have a few characters to talk about, I’ll mention one character I found a little interesting and another I was annoyed by.
Vernestra Rwoh is a green skinned Mirialan. She’ a prodigy within the Jedi Order, passing the Jedi trials at the age of just 15, one of the youngest Jedi Knights around. She’s not too thrilled with her first mission as a Jedi Knight, spending time on the planet Dalna. She’s keeping an eye on an ambassadors daughter, making sure she’s kept safe. She’s good with a lightsaber, but still a little unsure of herself. She’s young for a Knight, and must face some difficult decisions when she’s thrust into an unexpected disaster.
Honesty Weft, son of the Dalna Ambassador. Honesty does not want to be on the Steady Wing, he’d much rather find out what vocation would suit him best, he’d like to be a warrior, to join the Dalna military. Even though the planet hasn’t had a full scale war in a century. But, his father wants Honesty with him, to witness diplomacy first hand as they attempt to join the Republic. Honesty is a very emotional young man. Who cry’s about absolutely everything.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: This book was fine. It’s a young readers story, and for some reason I find the young reader books pretty tedious. The story isn’t bad at all, it’s just very simple and straight forward. The book definitely has a mature theme, with a lot of death and some violent moments. For a kids story, I’d think if it were a film, it would still have to be PG-13. There are some really dark moments.
The characters are written well. Honestly, I found only two characters interesting, the others I could have done without. The idea that one of the young Jedi is a prodigy was a bit silly, I think the story would have been more interesting if the cast contained not 1 Padawan, but 2 or maybe even 3. The Nihil didn’t seem to intemidating in the book, of course they did a dark deed, but they were just dumb villians, I would say that’s most likely due to the targeted age group for the book, then again… the book was packed with death and other dark points.
The dialogue was well written. Some of the plot points were really interesting as one of the youth turns toward a darker path. We get a good tease at some of the lore of the Jedi, and their conflict with the Sith. Like I said, the book was fine, it wasn’t bad at all, but I wouldn’t say it was great.
Do I recommend you pick up Star Wars: The High Republic: A Test of Courage? If you are a completest, yes. If you could care less about young reader books, I think you could pass on this one.
The Remaking is a novel by Clay McLeod Chapman and published by Quirk Books. Thank you, for sending a copy for me to review!
The Remaking is a 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist.
SUMMARY: Only the old trees know the true tale of mother Ella Louise & her daughter Jessica Ford, alleged witches. On October 16th, 1931, Ella and Jessica were burned alive in the woods of Pilot’s Creek Virginia. What was left of the bodies were buried, in separate locations. Ella Louise Ford’s gravesite is unknown to this day, but Jessica’s body is buried in the Pilot’s Creek Cemetery. The story of Ella and Jessica is passed on through ghost stories. That is until 1971, when the story was adapted into a film, Don’t Tread On Jessica’s Grave. Amber Pendleton, a young girl scores the roll to play the preteen witch, Jessica Ford. The film is made, but not without trouble, lots of trouble. A supernatural event happened on set, pushing the film to cult statues immediately.
Years go by, it’s 1995, Amber Pendleton’s acting career is stagnant. She makes the rounds at all the horror conventions, forcing a smile across her face. She hate’s the circuit, all the fans are all the same. However, she needs the money. So she’ll autograph items and take the photos with the fans, with a little help from pills and alcohol. One day, she gets an unexpected call from her agent. I Know What You Did On Jessica’s Grave is in the works, a remake of the 71 cult classic, Don’t Tread On Jessica’s Grave. The director wants Amber in the film, this time… to play the mother, Ella Louise Ford. The film enters production, but too much trouble, familiar trouble disrupts the movie.
Years go by, it’s 2016. The truth still isn’t clear about what happened on the production of I Know What You Did On Jessica’s Grave. Amber is sought out by podcaster, to pull the truth from her. Is Amber Pendleton crazy? Did Ella Louise come back from the grave to take the young Amber in 1971? Did Amber fall to heavily into her roll as Ella Louise in 1995 and commit murder? learn the truth, read The Remaking.
CHARACTERS: I’m only going to pick one character to mention.
Amber Pendleton: She’s had a rough life. Her mother pushed hard for Amber to be an actress. When Amber scored her first real acting job for a movie, her mother was so happy, Amber was just a nervous child. The event that took place during her first film job left her scared, emotionally and mentally. She absolutely hated the convention life, but because her acting days were pretty much not a reality, she had to do the signings and photos. Her life turns out to be pretty sad. Since that first job, people have always associated her with that one roll as Jessica Ford, the little witch girl. She feels in her heart, that her life is forever tied to the Ford witches.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I enjoyed the book. The author takes a unique approach at writing this story, The novel is a story, about a story remaking a story, based on origin story, followed up by a new type of storytelling. It sound’s complicated, but it really isn’t. I didn’t find the book to be scary, (I can’t recall a book ever really freaking me out) but it has all the elements a spooky story would have. Clay Chapman did a wonderful job structuring the story.
The writing style wasn’t my favorite. The way some things were written I just got plain annoyed with. Some elements felt rushed. Some moments lacked detail, while others went into excellent detail. I’m not quite sure how to explain this next thing, but some of the writing felt like the author was in a mode, writing immediately what came to mind and ran with it, leaving in the hesitations and mind stutters. Here’s an example of what I’m trying to say, this isn’t from the book, I don’t want to put copy what’s in the book, but this is the flow in some areas:
I’m writing so fast because thoughts are coming into my brain! My brain… My brain… Brain hurts… If I slow down the writing will stop and I’ll be so far behind on my schedule. Schedule schedule schedule… I think about the schedule so much my brain hurts… hurts..
That’s my only issue with it. Again, I think the author did a good job with the structure, it’s a cool way to tell a story and how it evolves over time with both the storytellers and the form of story telling. The story is more than a horror, it’s a tragedy.
Do I recommend you pick up The Remaking? Yes, Chapman wrote a spooky story in a unique way.
