Sharp, well-shaped adventure that takes on water at the end.
Although Nemo, of Jules Verne’s classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, has been narrative fodder for decades, this engaging debut novel from Dharma and Deanna Windham puts a new spin on his mythos.
Set in the near future, the story begins as a group of oceanographic researchers fortuitously stumble across a sunken vessel in the South Pacific. After investigating the wreck, they realize that their find is historic, “a myth brought to life”: Nemo’s legendary submersible, the Nautilus. This ship is laden with treasure, but researchers discover the most valuable item inside an iron chest—Capt. Nemo’s journal. The partially destroyed record chronicles Nemo’s heart-rending transformation from an up-and-coming British naval architect named Jonathan de Chevalier Mason to the captain of the most advanced—and feared—vessel in the world. After being betrayed by his best friend, Nemo was convicted of high treason in a secret court and sent to a penal colony on a remote island, where he was expected to die in short order. But, fueled by revenge, he escaped and becomes a legend. Masterfully constructed (the missing or destroyed pages allow the authors to skip over slow spots and focus only on action or significant events), breakneck paced and adeptly characterized, this reimagining of one of literature’s most enigmatic characters is a supreme page turner, with a dash of steampunk thrown in for good measure. The epilogue, however, doesn’t compare to the rest of the book, especially since it will leave readers with niggling questions—an unpleasant dessert after a gloriously appetizing meal.
Sharp, well-shaped adventure that takes on water at the end.Pub Date: May 22, 2012
ISBN: 978-0786752867
Page Count: 300
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
Warm and wonderful.
A prequel to the popular cozy fantasy Legends & Lattes (2022).
Viv is a fighter. It’s not just what she does, it’s who she is. So when she gets wounded during a battle with a necromancer’s skeletal wights, and her crew dumps her in a small seaside town to recover while they continue on after the necromancer, she is not happy about it. But soon enough, against her will, she’s drawn into the life of the town. There’s Fern, the unsuccessful bookseller, who has a knack for recommending exactly the right book. And there’s Maylee, the baker, who not only makes the world’s best baked goods, she actually winks at Viv. Before Viv knows what’s happening, she’s helping Fern out here and there, she’s reading—she’s involved. Meanwhile, there’s a pesky young gnome asking for an introduction to her mercenary crew, and a mysterious man in gray who looks like trouble. But Viv is leaving when her crew comes back through town. No matter what. This prequel gives readers a glimpse of Viv as a young orc, still committed to the fighter’s life, just taking an enforced break in a charming town populated by compelling, richly drawn characters, and the slightest hint of danger in the wind. Despite the lurking necromancer, the vibes are decidedly warm and cozy, and the plot is just as much about saving the bookstore and building relationships as it is about protecting the town from the man in gray. As a prequel, it can stand alone, but will certainly satisfy fans as well.
Warm and wonderful.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781250886101
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
© Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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