Friday, December 9, 2016

30 Days of Night Review

I'm not very familiar with graphic novels and the form. The Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman introduced me to the genre and I'm hard-pressed to not compare the two series.

30 Days of Night was certainly creepy and horrifying. The artwork gave a morbidly creepy atmosphere. The artwork gave a nightmarish quality to the story and with the fact that Alaska and the polar regions go through long periods of light and dark makes them vampire playgrounds.

I'm surprised by how short this work was, but it was part of a trilogy. However, it was the right length to explore the vampire myth in a modern setting. The vampire in this graphic novel was sentient, violent, and physically strong. The vampire in the work was eerie and coupled with the artwork adds a level of morbidity.

Rating: 4.5/5

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Relic Review

I certainly enjoyed this book. The suspense was eerily similar to a Stephen King novel, while the violence teetered and the edge of ultra-violence.

Dr. Frock is one of my favorite character's. He has great instincts and much better judgement than the authorities. He had the clarity of sight to see what others refused to see though evidence proved them wrong. Margo, Dr. Frocks protege in a sense, is also an enjoyable character: her character is handled very well. Margo does shine given her circumstances in the novel, something other thriller authors may not understand.

The suspense is something that must be looked at. I found the suspense in the novel at times unbearable. Most of the novel was suspense, which the suspense was very calculated. Throughout the novel when the killings occur, the suspense does let up and rewards the reader. The suspense is like a trail of candy for some other treat that leads to the end: methodical and planned.

I did find the setting inside of a museum to be interesting. Inside the confines, the museum became a prison or a diner for the Mbwun. The confines if the museum, get smaller as the novel progresses, which certainly adds to the methodical suspense.

Rating: 4/5. An entertaining read with solid research done to support the plot.