Book reviews

Infestation by William Meikle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Infestation by William Melkle follows the tradition of character driven action novels along the lines of Alistair MacLean and Matthew Reilly, but with a twist. The story jumps right into the action, and death and mayhem ensue. The main character, Captain John Banks, is competent enough to get through the danger, albeit with several lives lost, but also appears out of his depth with the situation in which he and his team are trapped. And who wouldn’t be out of their depth, with hordes of ocean bed-dwelling creatures out to kill you. Yes, an Infestation! I’ve long been a fan of this type of action story and look forward to reading more in this series.

Sons of Brutality #1 by Daniel Jeudy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Daniel Jeudy has created a cruel world in this crime novel. Everything is harsh – the thoughts of the main characters, the crime scenes, the criminal actions, even the climate and environment seems harsh. This is all in keeping with the type of story this is – brutal. The main character, Detective Addison Mowbray, is beaten, worn and bordering on corrupt, without really crossing over. The parallel crime plots are poles apart. One, the deranged desire of a cult member to raise his girlfriend from the dead. The other, a renegade killer taking out the criminal trash. While there are lots of offensive people and scenes in this book, none were directed at the reader, being contained in the action of the story. This made some of the cruelty easier to handle as a reader. This appears to be book #1 in a series, and there is definitely scope for a series to develop from this premier book. A good read for those who like gritty, gruesome crime reads.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an original and entertaining story! Kevin Wilson gives a straight-faced telling of a bizarre family circumstance. The fire-children (twins Bessie and Roland) are intriguing, although most of the attention is given to Bessie and her developing relationship with their reluctant care-taker, Lilian. The character development lacks a bit of detail, but is compensated with a plot that is succinct and keeps the story moving at a good pace. A really fun story, with a heartwarming take on the ‘found’ family theme.

Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a thoroughly enjoyable queer YA story. Sass expertly explores the ‘negative’ of being queer in society – from religious judgement and family rejection to teen pregnancy and first love, to suicide and conversion therapy. Adam Sass uses humour and adventure to lighten the load of these heavy topics, while giving the characters room to be emotionally impacted by their shared trauma. The found family element is inspiring, and balances well with the darkness encompassing Connor and the other teens.
I really enjoyed this book, and was rooting for Connor Major from the start!

Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I read this book and immediately wanted to travel back to my teen years and date Bryson Keller myself. While he is the titular character, and well worth the investment, it is the main character Kai Sheridan, who is the heart of this story.

This queer YA novel travels through familiar themes – coming out, self-acceptance, homophobia, abuse, family rejection, religion, and teenage romance. But it does so with a clear understanding this is Kai’s story, not an everyman tale. Kai’s perspective and experiences provide a unique vision to these themes, and secretly includes the reader in Kai’s inner discourse.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, and a lovely story.

The Shield Road: A Collection of Fantasy Short Stories by Dewi Hargreaves

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Shield Road is an enchanting collection of intertwined stories, with characters that climb into your heart and pull at your emotions. The Bladekin was my favourite character, and his chapters were central to the overall story.
Dewi Hargreaves is skilled in creating a world that is simultaneously real and fantastic. His characters are relatable, each being skilled and flawed by their own histories.
This was a completely enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it.

Not Quite Out by Louise Willingham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not quite what I expected. I thought this would be a light, comical escapade of romantic near misses and innuendo. How wrong could I have been.

Not Quite Out is a serious tale of self-acceptance, romance, abusive relationships, tested friendships, bi-phobia, and found family. I was absorbed by the inner turmoil of the main character, William Anson; and intrigued by the mysterious struggles of his love interest, Daniel. Throw in the strain William’s friendship with Daniel has on his other friends, as well as other, typical college struggles, and this becomes a serious examination of life in flux. And not just William’s.

Well worth the investment.

Honeybee by Craig Silvey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The themes in this story seem too many, and too deep, to be dealt with in one book. But they are. Starting with suicide, proceeding through dysfunctional family dynamics, drug abuse, family violence, homophobia, transphobia, assault, death, friendship, found family, self-discovery, and ending with the ultimate prize – a life of one’s own. I told you it was too much!

Except it isn’t. Not in the hands of Craig Silvey. Craig has a deftness of touch that brings humour to awkwardness, light to darkness, and hope to despair. Honeybee is a wonderful book, and an enigmatic character.

Lesser Known Monsters by Rory Michaelson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bloody hell! What a ride!
As a long time lover of horror and monster lit, it was exhilarating to see this combined with queer lit in this exciting story.
Rory Michaelson has created an interesting ‘other’ world, where monsters exist in secret alongside humans.
The veil between the our world and the alternative reality where monsters originated is beginning to fail. Oscar, along with his friends Zara and Marcus, is thrust into chaos when he is exposed to the reality of monsters by the sexy Dmitri, a monster himself.
I would hazard a guess that Michaelson had some fun writing this book, as the sense of adventure and camaraderie shines through in his writing. This is dramatic speculative queer lit, with themes of found family, overcoming fears to be our true selves, accepting others for who they are, and trusting those closest to you.
I can’t wait for the next book in this series, The Bone Gate.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The enjoyment I received from this book was a complete surprise!
The story is set in an alternative reality, where an early-hours phone from a mysterious organisation called Death Cast informs people they will die that day. The two main characters, Mateo and Rufus, both receive calls. They connect via an app for the soon-to-be deceased, and spend their last day together. These two young men explore their city, their minds, and their hearts, as they ride the subway and Rufus’ bike around New York.
The narrative alternates between each character, giving the reader insight into what they think of each other, what they think of themselves, and what emotions they are struggling with during their last day on earth.
All the adventures they undertake carry risks, reminding the reader of how many near misses each of us have each day. Reminding us how precious life is.
I connected with Mateo and Rufus as people, and their plight, and was emotionally invested in their story. Even though I knew the ending form the start.
This is a smart and original story from Adam Silvera. I highly recommend this book for lovers of YA queer lit, or speculative queer lit, or any queer lit!

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

T.J. Klune has done it again! I fell in love with the characters, as they were falling in love with each other. Klune has the amazing gift of taking you inside the main character’s psyche, enveloping you in their thoughts and emotions, and dragging you through their faults and fears. Like with Nick in The Extraordinaries, Klune forces us to inhabit the main character Linus as he spends time at the house in the Cerulean Sea, and discovers a world of possibility and worth that had never before existed in his mind. This is a lovely story about love, both of self and others, and remarkable people becoming a family.

Flesh Wounds by Richard Glover

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Richard Glover gives an amusing and engaging recitation of his life growing up in an odd-ball family. His mother is a striking concoction of fantasy, lies and wishes. His father, a lost soul consumed by loneliness and alcohol. In the midst of their chaos, Richard grew, and went on to thrive in a world that accepted him, and gave his family space to be who they wanted.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. As someone with more than my fair share of family dysfunction and wierdo relatives, I related to the shenanigans Richard was subjected to by his parents. There is no lack of love towards them from Richard, and an ultimate acceptance of them as distinct individuals, whose lives and loves had nothing to do with him.

Served Cold by Alan Baxter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another exciting, and at times unsettling, read from Alan Baxter!
This collection of short stories had something for each emotion. There’s the hauntingly sad Her Grief In My halls; the unnerving The Goodbye Message; the creepy They All Come Through London In The End; and the angry, revengeful Served Cold.
My favourite stories were:
– In Vaulted Halls Entombed, where a group of soldiers encounter otherworldly evil that breaks their bodies and minds; and
– Yellowheart, where a group a group of friends go to a cabin for weekend, and ingest some ‘alternative’ mushrooms. If you’ve ever read horror, or watched any ‘cabin in the woods’ horror films, you’ll know there’s nothing good awaiting these friends on their weekend away.
I’ve read a few Alan Baxter books now, and never fails to deliver an engaging story (in this case, stories), filled with the macabre, the eerie, and the dreadful. Highly recommended!

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the opening sentences, I felt the sadness of this story like a weighted blanket, comforting me through the book. This book is poetry: melancholic, innocent, hard and unyielding. The main characters, Ludwik and Janusz, share a love and passion that is pure; a love that is theirs to hold and that holds them in turn. The setting, 1980s Poland, and the background of unforgiving rule and minimalist existence, make their love even more valuable.
I knew I would be heartbroken in the end, even though I had no idea where the story would take me. There was something so predetermined about their love and their lives that left nothing but the knowledge it could not last in that environment.
I highly recommend this beautifully written story, about true love, of another, and of self.

Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a compelling read. Well written, using simple, emotional language that takes you instantly into the heads of the three main characters. A coming-of-age tale for gay boys. Gritty, hard, reality-based stories. Highly recommended.
I found it took me longer to finish than expected, as I kept having to take breaks. The story hit my memories hard, bringing back my own experiences of being a closeted gay boy in a catholic school. Such honesty in the portrayal of what these characters go through. Great ending. Not all happy, but at least hopeful.

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