SleepbyStephenKing

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Monday, 15 July 2013

Sharing a Sense of Desolation with Travis Simmons (#bookreview #giveaway)

Posted on 06:03 by Unknown
While it wasn't necessarily a bad book, there were so many little issues with Desolation that I really had trouble enjoying it.



On the plus side, Travis Simmons has definitely done something interesting with zombies here, adding a little fresh blood and brains to a genre that's become very tapped out. Rather than limit himself to a choice between the classic shuffling zombie and the contemporary speedy one, he incorporates both into his story, and then adds a third flavor in the infernals - basically zombies with brains. Not content to stop there, he also adds an even darker element, with human necromancers who have the power to create and control the zombies. It definitely makes for a very dark, exciting read, but he needs more space to fully explore the concepts.



Unfortunately, this is a book that's in dire need of an editor. While I generally don't like to focus on that element in my reviews, when it becomes a distraction - as it did here - I have to call it out. Little things like the proper use of its/it's and there/their/they're are one thing. They're annoyances, but you can train your mind to skip by them. Wrong or missing punctuation is another thing entirely, however, and there were passages - particularly following a line of dialogue - where my reading just hit a brick wall of incomprehension. Also, while I know it's difficult to work personal details into a first person narrative, it shouldn't have taken 7 or 8 chapters before Asher is revealed as a guy. Yes, I know it's clear in the synopsis, but when a book has sat on your e-reader for a few months, the value of a synopsis or cover blurb is entirely lost.



As for Asher being a guy, I certainly had no issues with that, and thought gay romance angle was an interesting touch, particularly with his lingering feelings for his now-zombie boyfriend. Their romance was solid, and I think Asher's grief was very well portrayed. In addition, I really liked how Simmons continued to play with the romance angle, right up to the climax of their final zombie confrontation. My problem with Asher was not his sexuality, but his personality and his perfection. He's a little too much of the perfect hero, more a pulp adventure novel cliché than somebody fit to lead a post-apocalyptic horror novel.



Ultimately, this felt like a young adult novel that was deliberately sexed-up and bloodied-up to appeal to a wider audience. It certainly has potential, and I think Simmons can do some really exciting things with the material, but this first volume is just a bit too rough and unpolished for my tastes.




αωαωαωαωαωαωαω




Writers Workshop Blog Tour




αωαωαωαωαωαωαω



About the Author



I have been writing since I was 14. I began writing a book called "The Calling of the Two" and while writing that on and off I started uncovering another idea.



"Yes, this is all well and good, but what about before? What happened in the world before these characters came into it?" I always knew there was a "before" and as I started wondering about it I got ideas. At first they were little ideas but as I discovered the names for my characters a whole story about them emerged.



I started working on The Revenant Wyrd Saga several years back and I am very happy I did because hearing and documenting Jovian and Angelica's story has been one wild ride.



I live in a remote part of upstate New York and honestly just hoofing around my neck of the woods gives me a ton of inspiration for my novels. I love research, and I love speculating on different ideas and theories.



Website: http://www.travissimmons.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authortravissimmons

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TravisSimmons5

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4342608.Travis_Simmons




αωαωαωαωαωαωαω



About the Book



Desolation

by Travis Simmons



Asher St Paul thought it was just a typical zombie apocalypse like in the movies, until the necromancers crawled out of the woodwork.



Since the undead have chased the living into hiding, the necromancers are able to roam freely in a new America of their making. Asher is seeking safe harbor. The need for safety is what drove him from his home in Philadelphia Pennsylvania before it was shelled. He has searched from quarantine to quarantine, always finding them overrun with zombies until he hears of The Refuge, a military compound in Binghamton New York.



With his family and lover lain to rest by his own hand, he has nothing left to lose and gives everything he has to reach the safe haven. But questions arise when he reaches The Refuge, mainly, how has he been able to sustain multiple zombie bites and not change? He thinks he has found safety in the military compound turned quarantine, but he was wrong. Even now there is a necromancer trying to make The Refuge

their kingdom of the dead.




αωαωαωαωαωαωαω




a Rafflecopter giveaway




αωαωαωαωαωαωαω




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from Jitterbug PR and from the author

as part of a virtual book tour. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The

opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade

Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in

Advertising.”


Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in giveaway, guest post, tour-JPR, zombies | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Geddy's Moon by John Mulhall (REVIEW)
    Amnesia. It's one of the most overused tropes in entertainment history, overplayed to the point that it has become a soap opera punch li...
  • eBook Review: The Great Sphinx of Amun-Ra by Herbert Smith
    I must say, reading  The Great Sphinx of Amun-Ra was likely one of the oddest experiences I've had all year. Herbert Smith first came ...
  • Erotic Fantasy Short-Stories by Pat McCraw (REVIEW)
    When Pat McCraw asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing her  Erotic Fantasy Short-Stories collection, her first work to be translate...
  • Blake Crouch Creeps Me Out and Intrigues Me With Pines (#bookreview)
    Damn, but it's been a very long time since a book sucked me in as quickly, and as deeply, as Pines did. I originally picked this up a f...
  • Feature and Follow Friday
    Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that is designed to provide some much-appreciated exposure to the bloggers participating, and to ...
  • EXPLORATION: Schoellkopf Power Station (Part 1 - The Approach)
    The Schoellkopf Power Station is one of those almost mythical locations that have obsessed me since my early childhood days. Every time we d...
  • ORIGINS blogfest
    Okay, this is a really cool idea. Co-hosted by DL Hammons ( Cruising Altitude 2.0 ),  Katie Mills ( Creepy Query Girl ), Alex J. Cavanaugh...
  • Sharing a Sense of Desolation with Travis Simmons (#bookreview #giveaway)
    While it wasn't necessarily a bad book, there were so many little issues with Desolation that I really had trouble enjoying it. On the ...
  • February Follow Giveaway - WINNERS!
    A huge thanks to everybody who stopped by over the past month to take part in the February Follow Giveaway! We did successfully surpass the ...
  • Waiting On Wednesday - Necroscope: The Mobius Murders by Brian Lumley
    "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine , that spotlights upcoming releases that we...

Categories

  • "Waiting On" Wednesday (14)
  • #TuesDecay (8)
  • A to Z Challenge (25)
  • adventure (19)
  • Angry Robot (3)
  • archaeology (10)
  • atheism (1)
  • awards (2)
  • B.R. Kingsolver (1)
  • bdsm (2)
  • Ben Bova (1)
  • Bentley Little (1)
  • bizarro (13)
  • Blake Crouch (1)
  • book review (143)
  • book review-DA (16)
  • book review-SB (2)
  • Brandon Sanderson (4)
  • Brian Lumley (2)
  • Call for submissions (2)
  • Cameron Pierce (1)
  • Carlton Mellick III (2)
  • censorship (1)
  • charity (1)
  • Charles Stross (1)
  • Clive Barker (4)
  • Clive Cussler (1)
  • comic books (3)
  • contest (2)
  • conventions (2)
  • cover reveal (5)
  • Daniel H. Wilson (2)
  • David L. Golemon (3)
  • David S. Goyer (1)
  • David Wellington (1)
  • deals and freebies (4)
  • Dean Koontz (1)
  • Doctor Who (1)
  • Douglas Preston (2)
  • Edward Lee (3)
  • epic fantasy (37)
  • Ernest Cline (1)
  • erotica (6)
  • fantasy (92)
  • fiction (3)
  • Follow Friday (40)
  • freebies (10)
  • ghost (2)
  • giveaway (33)
  • Gothic romance (1)
  • guest post (37)
  • Guy Gavriel Kay (5)
  • haunted (4)
  • historical fantasy (11)
  • horror (113)
  • humour (13)
  • Ian C. Esslemont (1)
  • In My Mailbox (4)
  • Insecure Writer's Support Group (6)
  • interview (20)
  • Jacqueline Carey (1)
  • James Enge (1)
  • James Maxey (1)
  • James Rollins (2)
  • Jeff Salyards (2)
  • John Grover (3)
  • Jonathan Strahan (2)
  • Joseph Devon (1)
  • Julie E Czerneda (1)
  • Kate Locke (1)
  • Kevin J. Anderson (1)
  • Kevin L. Donihe (1)
  • Larry Correia (1)
  • Launch Day (1)
  • Layton Gree (1)
  • Lee Battersby (3)
  • lgbt (4)
  • Lincoln Child (2)
  • Mailbox Monday (11)
  • Mark Lawrence (2)
  • Matt Forbeck (1)
  • Melanie Rawn (2)
  • Mercedes Lackey (1)
  • Michael J. Sullivan (2)
  • Michael West (5)
  • Monday Morning Musings (5)
  • mystery (8)
  • Neal Stephenson (1)
  • Nicholson Baker (1)
  • nonfiction (4)
  • origins (1)
  • paranormal romance (2)
  • Paul Kemp (1)
  • Peter V Brett (3)
  • photo exploration (8)
  • Pip Ballantine (3)
  • poetry (2)
  • post-apocalyptic (14)
  • pricing (1)
  • promo (2)
  • publishing (1)
  • Raymond E. Feist (3)
  • Richard Laymon (2)
  • Richard Matheson (1)
  • Robert J. Sawyer (1)
  • Robert Jordan (2)
  • Robin Hobb (2)
  • romance (2)
  • Rowena Cory Daniells (10)
  • Schoellkopf Power Station (2)
  • sci-fi (93)
  • Secondhand Sunday (2)
  • Sergey Dyachenko (1)
  • Seventh Star Press (6)
  • Solitaire Parke (1)
  • Stacking The Shelves (27)
  • Star Trek (1)
  • Star Wars (1)
  • steampunk (8)
  • Stephen Baxter (2)
  • Stephen King (6)
  • Steven Erikson (3)
  • Steven Shrewsbury (1)
  • Storm Moon Press (1)
  • superheroes (6)
  • suvudu (4)
  • T. Aaron Payton (1)
  • Taylor Anderson (1)
  • Tee Morris (2)
  • Terry Pratchett (2)
  • TGIF (25)
  • thriller (58)
  • Tim Lebbon (1)
  • Tom Knox (1)
  • Tom Lloyd (1)
  • Top Ten Tuesday (1)
  • tour-BBT (9)
  • tour-BTS (4)
  • tour-DMB (2)
  • tour-FRP (4)
  • tour-IOBT (4)
  • tour-JPR (1)
  • tour-Nurture (2)
  • tour-PIC (4)
  • tour-PUMP (5)
  • tour-TCM (1)
  • tour-TLC (1)
  • tour-VBT (7)
  • Tracy Hickman (1)
  • Twisted Tinsel Tales (9)
  • Tyr Kieran (1)
  • urban fantasy (32)
  • vampires (23)
  • Waiting On Wednesday (62)
  • werewolves (1)
  • What Are You Reading? (19)
  • zombies (8)

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2013 (217)
    • ►  August (7)
    • ▼  July (24)
      • Waiting on Wednesday - Torchwood: Exodus Code by J...
      • Four Stars for Three by Jay Posey (#bookreview #sc...
      • Exploring the Conjure House with Gary Fry (#horror...
      • Captivated and Enthralled by Blood Makes Noise (#b...
      • A Miracle of Rare Design . . . and good reading (#...
      • Big Damn Heroines - Women Kicking Ass (#guestpost)
      • Cheering on Chapel versus the Chimera (#bookreview)
      • Talking Vanishers or Dangerous Latitudes with Jame...
      • Stacking The Shelves & What I'm Reading
      • Talking Time Travel & Magic with Scott Spotson (#i...
      • Waiting on Wednesday: On the Steel Breeze by Alast...
      • Sharing a Sense of Desolation with Travis Simmons ...
      • Conflicted (and excited) about King of Thorns (#bo...
      • Call for Submissions - Midian Unmade: Tales of Cli...
      • Call for Submissions - Silver Birch Press NOIR Era...
      • Dateline: Atlantis by Lynn Voedisch (#bookreview #...
      • Waiting on Wednesday: King Breaker by Rowena Cory ...
      • Shadow Sights and Ghost Lights with E.J. Stevens (...
      • Stacking The Shelves & What I'm Reading
      • Laugh out loud with Thunderbird (#bookreview)
      • Heading Down the Rabbit Hole with Juan Pablo Villa...
      • Just in Awe of the Prince of Thorns (#bookreview)
      • IWSG - Digesting Feedback
      • Waiting On Wednesday - The One-Eyed Man by L. E. M...
    • ►  June (29)
    • ►  May (25)
    • ►  April (47)
    • ►  March (29)
    • ►  February (25)
    • ►  January (31)
  • ►  2012 (283)
    • ►  December (35)
    • ►  November (28)
    • ►  October (22)
    • ►  September (24)
    • ►  August (28)
    • ►  July (21)
    • ►  June (23)
    • ►  May (24)
    • ►  April (23)
    • ►  March (20)
    • ►  February (26)
    • ►  January (9)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile