TuesDecay - Farm Complex (Hwy 3)

This week's edition of #TuesDecay (follow along on Google+ to see all the posts) features the remains of an old farmhouse complex out on Hwy 3. There's something about the wild embankment up front, the monstrous trees, and the rearmost buildings that capture the eye.

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The Constantine Affliction by T. Aaron Payton (eBook Review)

Offering up an interesting mix of genres (with an abrupt change of course in the last act), The Constantine Affliction is a fun, engaging, imaginative read that manages to succeed despite the relative blandness of its main character. That's not to say Pimm isn't an interesting character on his own, but he lacks the quirks and personality traits that make the other characters leap off the page.



T. Aaron Payton, better known as T.A. Pratt, has put together a story here that is equal parts thriller, mystery, horror, comedy, and adventure. At the heart of it lies the aforementioned Pimm (an aristocrat who likes to play detective - when not drowning his sorrows), the far more engaging Winifred (his best friend turned spouse - thanks to the gender-changing Constantinopolitan Affliction), and the rather remarkable Syke (investigative reporter and feminist heroine - for whom the glass is always half-full). Facing off against the unlikely trio of heroes is an even unlikelier trio of villains in Abel Value (criminal overlord), Sir Bertram Oswald (the Queen's consort), and Mr. Adams (cousin to Frankenstein's monster). Throw in some clockwork courtesans and some extra-dimensional monsters, set against the backdrop of a London under siege from darkness and disease, and you have yourself one heck of a tale.



There is an awful lot going on here, but Payton manages to keep it all on track, all the while building towards a pair of key revelations that quite cleverly connect the dots between the mixed genres. At times chilling, amusing, and altogether fascinating, this is the kind of book where you just have to give yourself permission to settle in and enjoy the ride. It is paced exceptionally well, so much so that you never begrudge Payton the opportunity to explore a few bizarre tangents - and of those there are aplenty! Perhap's Skye's intimate investigation of the clockwork courtesans goes into a bit too much detail, but it is fascinating, and it does help to justify some plot elements further on. Similarly, Mr. Adam's researches into life-after-death may be a bit too grotesque for some readers, but you'll come away believing in the possibility for romance with a disembodied brain.



Where the story faltered a bit, for me, was in the Lovecraftian insanity of the final act. It almost seemed as if, having so deftly handled so many genres already, Payton simply couldn't resist the urge to go all the way with his monstrous finale. He manages it well, and the strength of his characters keeps it from becoming too fantastic, but it was so far removed from what I was expecting that I struggled a bit to keep my disbelief willingly suspended. It does give Winifred a chance to shine, and does allow for a fitting resolution to the character of Mr. Adams, but it also cast Pimm a bit further out of the limelight.



All-in-all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read, with enough plot lines to fill a trilogy of novels. Hopefully Payton will give us more adventures in his alternate London, and if he can follow through on Pimm's seeming revival at the end of the story, he may just be a protagonist worthy of both his wife and his girlfriend.

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TGIF - Feature & Follow Friday

Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that is designed to provide some much-appreciated exposure to the bloggers participating, and to expand their following. Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each of whom feature a chosen blog for the week, it's an interesting way to get to know one another.

Question of the Week: What blogger inspires you? It can be any kind, it doesn't have to be a book blog.



SQT and Jim over at Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews always inspire me (it's rare that I disagree with any of their picks or their reviews), along with Pat from Pat's Fantasy Hotlist (it amazes me just how plugged in he is to genre news and developments) and Joe over at Glorious Trash (just because it's nice to see somebody share my eccentric love for the pulp past).



Parajunkee also hosts a Social Hop for Facebook and Twitter, which I regularly take part in. So, if you're one of those people who aren't on Blogger, or who just don't like Google Friend Connect, it's a great way to keep in touch and follow one another.

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Waiting On Wednesday: Nightwhere by John Everson

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.



This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:



Nightwhere by John Everson



She yearned to go beyond... but some curtains should never be opened.



When Rae broached the idea of visiting an underground sex club, Mark didn’t blink. He should have. Because NightWhere is not your usual swingers club. Where it’s held on a given night…only those who receive the red invitations know. Soon Rae is indulging in her lust for pain. And Mark is warned by a beautiful stranger to take his wife away before it’s too late.



But it’s already too late. Because Rae hasn’t come home. Now Mark is in a race against time—to find NightWhere again and save his wife from the mysterious Watchers who run the club. To stop her from taking that last step through the degradations of The Red into the ultimate BDSM promise of The Black. More than just their marriage and her life are at stake: Rae is in danger of losing her soul... (Oct 2, 2012)



Like last week's selection, this one is already available for the Kindle, but there's nothing quite like a paperback release, just in time for Halloween. Kudos to Samhain Publishing for doing the season right!

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TuesDecay - Old Car Frame (Niagara Glenn)

This week's edition of #TuesDecay (follow along on Google+ to see all the posts) features the rusted remains of an old car frame, hidden deep within the Niagara Glenn. I played around with angle and focus to draw the eyes along the side of the frame, as if down a twisted, ruined highway.

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The Human Condition by John Grover (eBook Review)

Book 2 of the Song of the Ancestors, The Human Condition, is another strong effort from John Grover that doesn't quite live up to the promise of Web of the Spider Queen, but still manages to be a solid read.



With the war against the aforementioned Spider Queen behind them, the races of Orum are slowly recovering, taking time to enjoy the rebirth of the world around them. Unfortunately, where the promise of romance should be building bridges between the races, old prejudices and hatreds put the fragile peace at risk. It's this slow, sweet opening to the story that I found to be the weakest part of the story, with the romantic dialogue a little too weak and cliched for my tastes. Fortunately for the reader (if not for the characters), tensions spill over and secrets are betrayed, leading to a civil war between the races.



As as the case with the first story, Grover excels at describing conflict, especially with the frantic scene changes and shifts in perspective. It all begins with the Amazons fighting among themselves, followed by the Faeries making war upon them, all over the fate of the single Human rescued from the Spider Queen's lair. It's a bitter war than sees allies turning upon one another, with a significant emotional component that escalates the conflict a notch above the original war. The battle scenes are as inventive as they are bloody, with some welcome new twists.



Where the book really comes into its own, though, is in the final stages of the story, with the descent into the world of frost fae, but to say much more about that would be to get into spoiler territory. To be honest, I wasn't sure where this second volume could go with the war against the Spider Queen already over, but I quite like the direction that Grover is taking, and look forward to seeing where it goes next.

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Stacking The Shelves and Mailbox Monday

Stacking The Shelves is a new weekly meme being hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you've added to your shelves - physical and virtual, borrowed and bought. Mailbox Monday, meanwhile, is a similar meme being hosted by 5 Minutes for Books this month (check out the Mailbox Monday blog to see who's hosting next month).

A good week for review titles, with the following coming my way:

The Constantine Affliction

by T. Aaron Payton





The Donors

by Jeffrey Wilson






Kiss of the Butterfly

by James Lyon

I also took advantage of the 40% off sale at Books on Board to pick up 2 from James Maxey (Greatshadow and Hush) and 2 from Fiona Patton (The Golden Tower & The Shining City):

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