The Special Project

Joe Dawson is a struggling 41-year old writer battling a serious case of writer's block. When he travels to Wales in a last-ditch attempt to reignite his career, he finds himself staying at a mysterious seaside hotel, where nothing is quite what it seems. As the secrets of his past finally catch up with him, Joe is thrust into a life or death situation where his every action could have terrible consequences.

Out of Time by C.M. Saunders took me on a ride. I honestly expected a story about an author overcoming writer's block with a near-death experience or something along those lines. For the longest time, I thought I was reading a science fiction story instead. However, once the truth is revealed, I realized Saunders had found a way to combine horror, sci-fi, and the supernatural to expose Dawson for the monster hiding behind his books.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Read A Story, Help A Hero

The Somme Offensive, 1916. Harry Doyle is a young, overawed British infantryman struggling to come to terms with the insanity of war. His main objective is staying alive, and getting back home to his family in one piece. But his hopes begin to diminish when he realises the full extent of the misery and destruction around him. And the German war machine isn't the only thing he has to worry about. Something else is preying on his friends and comrades in the trenches, picking them off one by one. Something no amount of military training can prepare him for.

Proceeds from this book will be donated to the Help for Heroes foundation.

No Man's Land by C.M. Saunders is an action-packed novella about a young man's epic battle for survival in No Man's Land, between the British and German trenches, during WWI. He is tasked with doing a recon mission to discover why previous teams disappeared without explanation.

As far as war stories go, Saunders does an amazing job of capturing the psychological aspects of trench warfare, as well as humanizing a part of history on a very personal level. However, the author doesn't stop there...Saunders introduces a supernatural element to the danger Harry must face alone. With several rumours about the German soldiers having been mentioned before Harry volunteers, the nature of the enemy he engages remains a guessing game until the end.

While this story is perfectly thrilling as-is, I am hoping the author will consider a sequel...the storyline is just too damn good to be left on the battlefield. I love Saunders writing style and look forward to reading more of his work throughout the year.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Casual Approach To WW2

I thought Clara by Kurt Palka was to be a story of love between an aristocratic young woman and the cavalry officer, but it is one of the most emotionless books that I've ever read...ever. Inspired by a collection of documents, the author seems more interested in showing off what he knows about that part of history, rather than showing any real talent for story-telling. It could easily have been a story about androids for the lack of human emotions.

Clara, the woman at the center of the novel, seems very cold and unfeeling throughout most of the novel. She shows more interest in her books than in her own children or husband. The character development is almost non-existent, and, despite the time period, there is little drama within. The story reads more like an essay than a novel.

I haven't been this disappointed with a book in a long time.

As always,
AstraDaemon