Travel Reads

What is a good vacation without a good book? (Or am I just that much of an introverted geek?)

Any way, one of the features of this website is that I regularly review science fiction, fantasy and horror books and rate them on a scale of 1 to 5 palm trees. Some of these books were already in my collection, some I pick up at a store, and others are sent to me as review copies.

For a list of the books I’ve reviewed to date, go here.

Books that are in the queue right now include:

	The Call of Prophecy: And the Struggle over the Fate of Caliyon by Troy C. Reeves – Currently Reading Age-old prophecies entwine around events leading to the beginning of the time of silence — the time when the Tear of Deimar made its call, searching for the promised Lightbringer who must eventually stand to face the Seed of Corruption and right the balance of Caliyon for good. An unlikely combination of warriors unites to defeat the mysterious threat.
	The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin It’s said that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, then the Tower will crumble and the kingdom will fall. Resurrected sorcerer Matthew Swift is about to discover that this isn’t so far from the truth. . .
	Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi In a world in which society has stratified, fossil fuels have been consumed, and the seas have risen and drowned coastal cities, Nailer, 17, scavenges beached tankers for scrap metals on the Gulf Coast. Every day, he tries to “make quota” and avoid his violent, drug-addicted father. After he discovers a modern clipper ship washed up on the beach, Nailer thinks his fortune is made, but then he discovers a survivor trapped in the wreckage–the “swank” daughter of a shipping-company owner. Should he slit the girl’s throat and sell her for parts or take a chance and help her?
	Changeless Book Two in the The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger Alexia Tarabotti, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears – leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.
	Star Trek Reader’s Reference to the Novels: 1990-1991: Volume 6 by Alva Underwood Research continues in this sixth effort to collect information from the Star Trek novels of 1990-1991.
	Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan Capac Raimi arrives in an unnamed city, a place ruled by a man known as the Cardinal, and quickly realizes that he has no memory of his life elsewhere. When the Cardinal kills Capac’s uncle and offers Capac a job based on a dream and Capac’s Incan name, the young man’s life takes a turn for the fantastical.
	The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan Inspired by The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this book tells the tale of Jebel Rum, son of the executioner. Jebel sets out on a quest to the faraway home of a legendary fire god to beg for inhuman powers so that he can become the most lethal of men. He must take with him a slave, named Tel Hesani, to be sacrificed to the god. But after the long journey, will he still do it?
	The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Zombies by Nathan Robert Brown One of the latest titles in the “Complete Idiot’s Guide” series … this one educating you on all there is to know about zombies.
	Visions of Tomorrow: Science Fiction Predictions That Came True Edited by Thomas A. Easton and Judith K. Dial A collection of fiction-turned-reality tales, this anthology collects the most stunning predictions and imagined inventions, including many stories in which the world’s best science fiction writers demonstrate that the truth can be just as strange as fiction.
	The End of the World: Stories of the Apocalypse Edited by Martin H. Greenberg An anthology bringing together the inventors of alien invasions, devastating meteors, doomsday scenarios, and all-out nuclear war into one apocalyptic volume. In this collection, you will find those early doomsday writers and their contemporaries, including Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Lucius Shepard, Robert Sheckley, Norman Spinrad, and many more. Their stories in this volume detail the eerie political, social, and environmental destruction of our world.
	The Art of Zombie Warfare: How to Kick Ass Like the Walking Dead by Scott Kenemore When I received this book, my first reaction was “Oh! How adorable!” This little book is bound just like a travel guide and leafing through it, the illustrations are a hoot. This is Kenemore’s third zombie book and is described as being “Sun Tzu meets George Romero.”
	Swedish Fairy Tales Translated by Holger Lundbergh Illustrated by John Bauer Wicked magicians, angry trolls, mysterious elves, and nimble gnomes are just a few of the characters that make up this collection of 29 Swedish fairy tales. Oh, and did I mention the trolls? Seven of these tales feature these ugly, malicious and often dim-witted creatures of the dark forest.
	Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan Nastasya doesn’t appear to be a day older than 18 and has spent the last century of her 459 years living as a spoiled, strung-out party girl, moving with her group of immortal friends from one hot spot to another. Then, one night changes everything: after witnessing her best friend torture a human with magic, she realizes she has to escape what her life has become. So she goes to River’s Edge, the communal farm in Massachusetts where wayward immortals come seeking rehabilitation. Although her intention was to just hide away for a few days and plan her next move, she finds herself drawn into life on the farm, deciding to stay and at least make it look like she cares about being a good little immortal. It doesn’t hurt that one of her fellow rehabbers is the gorgeous Reyn — embodiment of a Viking god if there ever was one — who Nastasya can’t shake feeling she knows from somewhere. As she finally begins to deal with life and unwrap the dark memories of her past, her old “friends” are catching up to her, and someone even closer might want her dead.
	The Vision by C.L. Talmadge What happens when politics, passion, and piety collide? The resulting worldwide cataclysm obliterates a mighty nation and nearly destroys the world. The Vision is the first in a series of four books. This serialized fiction saga chronicles how state backing for an exclusionary religion leads to global destruction that sweeps away all traces of a mighty island nation called Azgard.
	Presidential Risk by Michael Bronte When dead presidents, such as Teddy Roosevelt, Abe Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower and others, in a supernatural world play the board game of world conquest, their moves are carried out in the human world. In the end, it’s all about leadership, and little Pauli Campo emerges from his meager existence to lead his country in the fight to avert a world war that could lead to the deaths of millions of people. This is the unGame, and the struggle for world domination continues with each roll of the dice in Presidential Risk.

Would you like your book added to the queue? Just send an email telling me about your book to editor@thegenretraveler.com.

I’m also happy to review DVDs and games for the Wii platform … as long as they would appeal to a science fiction, fantasy or horror fan base.

Please note that my reviews are honest and from my personal point of view. If I like a book, I say so. If I don’t like a book, I say so. And I do my best to provide both good and bad points so that my readers can make informed decisions about whether or not the book I’ve reviewed is worth their while. Also, I try to explain why I liked or didn’t like a book because I know that others may have differing thoughts on those points.

Please contact me before shipping anything to me. My address has changed a lot in the past few years and I’ll be moving again before the year is up.

Feedback from Author’s I’ve Reviewed

“Thank you for your thorough review of Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle. We have had many, but none more complete and professional than yours. Thank you for taking the time.”

Frank McKinney
Author of 3 new bestselling books:
The Tap
Burst This! Frank McKinney’s Bubble-Proof Real Estate Strategies
Dead Fred, Flying Lunchboxes, and the Good Luck Circle

Read my review here.