April "Reads"/Reads

Lots of driving for the Army leads to more "reading"of audio books:

• Joe Ledger: Special Ops (Joe Ledger #5.5) by Jonathan Maberry

• A great collection of short stories. The Joe Ledger world combines high tech, investigation, action and, yes, a little of the unexplained (in some ways this is the X-Files from operators perspective as opposed to a more passive special agent perspective). They fill in some of the backstories of specific books and/or characters. This was a excellent way to prepare for the release of the new book in the Joe Ledger series later this month. (5/5) 

• Do Unto Others (Freehold: Ripple Creek #2) by Michael Z. Williamson

• Bodyguards. You may ask yourself, what can be more boring that being a bodyguard. Well.. When you are the bodyguard for the only child (daughter) of the richest man in human space? Well, then things get complicated. Located in the Freehold universe (authoritarian Earth that embodies the nanny state, but also containing Freehold, libertarian paradise) this is the story of the Ripple Creek bodyguards (from the previous book, Better to beg Forgiveness) who have the difficult task of keeping this young woman alive. (4/5) 

• The Dark Between the Stars (Saga of Shadows #1) by Kevin J. Anderson

• Bringing back most of the surviving cast of the Saga of the Seven Suns, this book jumps 20 years into the future (so now the children of the main characters are involved as well). There is a new bad guy for the hero's to face, as well as some returning bad guys and some new allies. It will be interesting to see how the story continues to develop, as the scope of this story is pretty far reaching (which leads to some significant jumps in perspective). Overall a solid story. (3.5/5)
• Chaos (A New World #1) by John O'Brien

• It was an entertaining read. The world is going down due to a flue virus, and the vaccine turns out to be worse than the disease. My one big issue was that it seemed to easy for the main character, Jack. He flies an C-130, there just happens to be one with extra internal fuel tanks. The only person he encounters in the sky is his girlfriends brother? Yeah, I want to be this guys friend since he appears to be the luckiest guy alive (and of course his GF is one of the few survivors at the military base in Kuwait she is at). I will definitely read (listen to) the next book to see where this goes. (3/5)

Shows

It is ironic, given my site's name, that my consumption of "media" has taken a nosedive. I mostly blame it on the whole "being a responsible and caring parent" thing.

I mean, really, no one (I know there are exceptions) went to their grave going, "man, I wish I hadn't wasted so much time interacting with my children." BTW, this is my favorite recent picture... because, yes, that is the Medal of Honor hanging around my daughters neck (though she was probably more excited about the dog to her left). That is Army COL Crandall, MOH awardee (of "We were Soldiers" fame, he was the aviation guy who returned multiple times with supplies and to get the wounded)

But I still find some time to watch a few shows. Right now we seem to be in a new golden age for comic books, not just in the movies (everything from the Avengers to Superman seems to be doing well) but also on TV (and off TV, Netflix has been dropping some awesome stuff as well), which pretty much is taking up most of my viewing cycles. These are about the only shows that I am caught up on:

• Arrow - because the world seems to love moody rich people with no super-powers kick butt. And well.... Felicity....
• The Flash - much less moody and more bright, with bigger and more extreme bad guys.
• Supergirl - still on the edge on this show, not quite caught up on
• Walking Dead - smaller set and way more spoilers floating around
• Fear the Walking Dead - even though I find myself rooting for the zombies against these guys
• iZombie - pretty novel take on zombies and very different from other zombie shows
• Jane the Virgin - what can I say, it is entertaining and I watch it with my wife (interestingly the only one on this list that didn't derive from a comic book)
• some miscellaneous sitcoms (everything from 2 Broke Girls to Big Bang Theory)

Ironically since if I had to describe myself I would say that I was a Marvel Comics guy (vs a DC Comics guy) but overall the DC stuff has been producing a better/more watchable set of shows (I want to like Agents of SHIELD, but it doesn't have the same level of watchability that the DC set does.  Agent Carter is much more watchable (as well as the Netflix shows Daredevil and Jessica Jones) but is a much smaller commitment.

The only other thing I am really watching is a re-watch of Babylon 5, because I can have it on in the background and do other things while I go through the show. Somewhat dated but overall it held up well (JMS did a great job writing this show).

And of course I still make a pretty good dent in the reading pile (based on my other posts). 

Dead of Night (Dead of Night #1) by Jonathan Maberry

Dead of Night (Dead of Night #1)

by Jonathan Maberry

Still not sure how I missed finding Jonathan Maberry before but I am hooked. This book seems to keep up his Zombie theme, with more of the classic outbreak/beginning story.  Providing one of the better back stories for how the infection came to be than most books, the book kept me glued until the end.

When a mad-scientist doctor injects a death row serial killer with something other than what the government wants, untold horror is unleashed on a little county in Pennsylvania. Most of the story is told from the perspective of the reporter, Trout, and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Dez. Trout gets the full story from the prison doc, while Dez must slowly figure out the danger she is in bit by bit and only through trial and error is she able to learn how to fight correctly.  It is a solid story that keeps you involved for the entire novel, as you try to figure out where the story will end.

Ex-Heroes (Ex-Heroes #1) by Peter Clines

Ex-Heroes (Ex-Heroes #1)

by Peter Clines

You got Zombies in my Superheroes novel. You got Superheroes in my Zombie novel. Together it is a great combination (yes, I know Marvel has done this in the past, but it still doesn't make it any less interesting).

This story is a solid read. It combines both the origin stories of the various heroes with back story on how they handled the Zombie outbreak to the present situation, dealing with their closest opponents, a gang that has also survived the outbreak.The writer does a great job blending those stories together, causing a level of care for the characters as well as bringing the story to a rip-roaring battle of a crescendo.

4/5 stars.

Allison Hewitt Is Trapped (Zombie #1)i

Allison Hewitt Is Trapped (Zombie #1)

by Madeleine Roux

As a book lover myself I had to appreciate a story that starts out set in a book store which is written in blog format. Allison Hewitt, the lead of our story naturally, is a graduate student in English.  Which overall would make you think that she has little use in a zombie outbreak scenario. But she proves that wrong, with her quick and expert utilization of a fire axe.

Written as a find in the future that is being submitted to a literary collection addressing the zombie outbreak, this novel collects the posts and comments (which give a nice flavor for how the rest of the country is dealing with things, something that is often lacking in other books once the comm's go down (taken care by the concept of SafeNet, a (almost magical network to a techie like me) network that was meant for last minute coordination in a grid down scenario)).  Any story where the main character almost gets whacked because she is so focused on getting some new reading material to alleviate the boredom is one that I enjoy and relate to. Of course I have a harder time seeing myself being so unprepared and untrained as she is, but it is things like that which make the character relate able.

Overall a well written novel that provides a satisfying end for the story, with a unique voice and very familiar writing style.

Rot & Ruin

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.  So many of the zombie books are about the actual event. This book starts in the ruins, some 15 years after the event. Benny Imura is the main character as well as his brother Tom. Benny has grown up in the post-zombie world where Zombies and Zombie Hunters (like his brother) are playing cards and the slice of humanity of that we can see is huddled behind the fences. Only a few people, like his brother, go outside the fence into the Rot and Ruin.

But Benny faces the coming of age rite that once you hit 15 you have to find a job. And Benny is finding that he is either ill-suited for most the jobs or he sees no future in some of them (slinging dead zombies into the burn pit all day long? I can see why). So as a last resort he turns to his brother Tom. As with a lot of siblings, there is tension, and Benny blames his brother for his parents passing away, thinking him a coward compared to the more boisterous zombie hunters. Everything starts going wrong after he discovers the the ultra-rare trading card, "The Lost Girl," which serves as the focal point for the rest of the book.

As to the rest? Read it and find out. Jonathan Maberry is a top-notch storyteller who spins excellent action sequences and keeps the story moving along. So come along  and enjoy the ride.

Zombie Fallout: Zombie Fallout, Book 1

I love me some zombies. And I always appreciate the hangman's humor in any "The End of the World as we know it" type of story as I am pretty sure that is how I would handle it.

I really do like the narrative voice of the main character, Michael Talbot. As a military guy I can relate, and the really funny bit is that Mike is a zombie fan in the novel. So unlike some stories where apparently all the characters are dumbfounded that zombies exist, with no knowledge of the lore and stories that surround them (no modern novel should have character that are too shocked by zombies, they are too prevalent in US pop culture). Mike even experiences the moment of giddy, "It's real! It is really happening" before the reality hits him and it becomes "It's real?!? It is really happening.......  crap. We are screwed."

Overall the story flows pretty well, from the initial outbreak (damn flu shots....) to the desperate battle to protect his family. It does introduce some likable or interesting characters, but given this is a zombie story do not get too attached to any of them. The author does decide to bring in a mystical capability on both one of the characters and on at least a few of the zombies that made some of the story a stretch, but overall it didn't hurt the story too much (though it made for a some convenient outs for the near terminal situations that author painted the characters into).

Fun read, and also funny. Given the title it sounds like there may be some more story left from the remaining characters so I would be interested to see where this may go.

Best Game of 2009?

I think if you had asked me 2 weeks ago I would have said that Modern Warfare, for all its issues was probably the best. Until Borderdlands appeared in mailbox. And now that I have played it all the way through (yes, I am a bit OC with games and they are an addiction) I have to say that overall? It was better.

Yes, it looks cartoon-y. But it has a neat story, a complex world, very useful multi-player. This is the game that, while evolutionary is a gamers game (everything from a scaling system for bad guys, more guns/mods/shields than you can ever imagine and some fun content.). Easily the best 50 bucks I have spent so far this year (and last, sorry Fallout 3, this blends FPS and a role playing game... it wins). And it even has Zombies!

Two fun treats last night.

And that is not even counting the election results....
Left 4 Dead 2 Demo was released on the Xbox 360 yesterday. Fun!! I like the wider variety of weapons, from the new melee weapons (ranging from a guitar, nightstick, machete to skillet), the wider range of regular weapons (multiple pistol types, new variations on weapons), new special zombie types (even body armored ones!) and just overall coolness. I cannot wait for my copy of the full game to arrive in the mail... my friends and family will know this has happened when I stop tweeting and emailing for a couple of days. Between L4D2 and COD:MW2 this is a good time for games!

And last night I watched the premier of V. And enjoyed it. Well done, interesting adaptation of the storyline, updated tech and more sinister Vistitors (having them already infiltrate Earth is a cool twist). I love that they are having a counter-terrorism expert get involved in a resistance cell, it will be interesting if the skills used to hunt cells can be used to avoid detection as well. Overall it was good... good enough that it lured in my non-SF watching roomie (who requested that I keep the episodes and not delete them until he gets back from travel).

Zombieland

For someone with my fascination with Zombies, it is kind of surprising that I haven't seen it until now (though in my defense the past weekend was hectic, with the ATM, family in town(including me) and a DC United game to see.

Loved it! Classic zombies (though maybe a bit smarter... one zombie actually turned the doorknob in one scene), stereotypical characters (but with some fun twists).... In some ways it almost feels like a movie adaptation of Left 4 Dead.

Love the surprise guest (Bill Murray) and overall it was an enjoyable 1:20 (are movies trending shorter again? Haven't seen a film this short in a bit.

4/5 Stars! Not Zombie perfection but lots of fun.

Game Overload!

Okay, I know that game developers love to have new titles available around the holidays, but....
Are they trying to turn me into a social hermit? In the past few weeks the following games have entered the scene:

• Dead Space - really, there was no way to avoid this game.... Zombies in space! You cannot play this game in the dark, way too creepy.
• Gears of Wars 2 - Like this game
• Endwar - This game may have the coolest way of commanding your units in a RTS game that I have ever seen. And it actually makes playing RTS's on the Xbox 360 feasable. Though you do look kind of dorky yelling at your xbox through the voice controller.
• Fallout 3 - Love me some PIP Boy. Can't believe that it took ten years to get the sequal to this awesome series.
• Call of Duty: World at War - Very cool. Obviously when I have more time I will look forward to delving deeper into this game.
• Left 4 Dead - Zombies!!! Really.... 'nuff said.

And because appparently since I feel that that I have too much free time, I bought a Wii last week (impulse buy when I was in Best Buy shopping for a PS3, I saw a few behind the desk and asked if I could get one). I managed to get my parents to play it for a hour and a half on Saturday night. And yes, I will probably still buy the PS3 (gets me a Blue Ray player and a game system).

And now my poor Tivo's are feeling neglected.

Zombies!

So I also am obsessed with zombies.... (I think I creeped out my roommate when she asked why I owned firearms and I drolly said, to take care of the zombie uprising). I love watching movies with them, books (World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and The Zombie Survival Guide ... as well as comics The Walking Dead Book 1 (Walking Dead) ) all amuse me. So when I saw this : Blog like its the end of the world its too tempting(even though I am late to the party)...


************

I woke like any normal day... Put some tea on, chilled in front of the Tivo and then realized I was late for work. Slipped on my iPod and headed out the door... Just like any other day. In my iPod bliss I made it all the way to work without noticing anything unusual..
Then about noon the call came in.... "This is a blue moon exercise, report to the nearest military base ASAP". Now I thought this was weird... As an OCS Army Guardsman I am in training and pretty much useless. But orders are orders and off I went to home (I walk to work) to retrieve my uniform and car to drive over to Ft. Myer.. It was then that I noticed things were turning hinky. Sirens were sounding everywhere, the phone lines were so packed that I was unable to call anyone and the streets seemed oddly deserted.. Then I heard the moan carried by the wind that quickened my pace back home. Once there I flipped on the TV, grabbed my uniform (good old comfy ACU), went to my closet after getting a feel for what was happening and started to load my magazines. Thank god I had been to the range..
So there I was, Army uniform, web gear, camelback, 4 pistols, an AK on my back and one in my hands along with a backpack with all my additional ammo and weapons (I knew this day would come). And then I saw them..... pouring down the hill.. For you see, Arlington Cemetery is right around the corner... they had all woken up and looked really hungry...

It was then that I knew that I wasn’t going to get anywhere anytime soon and I realized my mission had changed.

First priority was to protect the people in the building. The uniform helped. I got 20 people (it was the middle of the day) off the basement, 1st& 2nd floor, stopped the elevators on the 5th floor, killed the entrance to the garage in the closed position (I hated that keycard reader and it was so satisfying to put a bullet into it) and then started to plan. The stairwells were the biggest concern. We put as much debris into them as possible, more than enough to stop them from being opened in any time.

By this point I had people arranged in teams. Some were securing water into every available container (can't be sure how long the taps would continue to run), others were placed so that they could report on what was going around the building.. I have been taking shots at the zeds from whatever good angle I can find... god they stink and the piles of bodies are growing higher. Power is starting to be a concern and I am not sure how much longer it is going to hold. Please tell me that this is going to end well, but the reports I have seen show that this is happening everywhere. Its getting dark and I need to arrange shifts so that we have a watch at all times. God I hope my family is all right.
God Bless everyone and good luck.. And if God is around, this would be the time for some miracles..

Hopefully we will be around in the morning,
OC Daniel