Nocturnal Stillness
13-01-09, 13:25
if you were a member of the old forum you might be aware that I like to write and have written a book which I self-published with a website called lulu.com.
Well Ive got a few reviews of it and I thought id share them as it is something Im proud of and also gives me a chance to thank the members of the forum who have read my stuff in the past and commented on it- If any mods believe this topic is breaking any rules feel free to delete this.
Review One [4 out of 5 stars]
Okay, put all of your preconceived thoughts away. Matthew Bellinghams book, Vampire City and Tales from the Shadows, is NOT just another vampire story. Sure, there are lots of them out there. We all know who Anne Rice is. Stephenie Meyer has earned her place on the New York Times Bestseller with her thick YA series. But Bellingham has actually written a book that has a bit more to offer than just some dramatic old blood sucking villains. His book has much more than bite!
The title story is actually in two parts followed by three other short stories, each having its on different set of characters and plot that attempt to keep you awake at night. Well discuss those first.
Holocaust of the Dead is a fun zombie story. It takes place in a town where strange dog attacks are taking place and turning the survivors into the undead, while one man fights for his survival. Sound familiar? Yeah, I immediatly conjured up images from movies like 28 Days and I am Legend. Heres a taste:
Slowly he stepped towards the corner; he heard a tearing sound. Eventually he came to the Dr; the zombie was eating him. Keith was dead; his stomach had become the creatures dinner.
Its a quick read at 32 pages, and although it doesnt present the reader with any new take on the living dead theme (does one even exist?), I still found it to be a fun engaging, and even humorous, read at times. I think it would make an excellent graphic novel or comic. If there are any artists out there interested in a project, maybe you should get in touch with Matthew.
Next is my favorite of the other stories: Mars 2050. Its a science fiction spin on the end of planet Earth in the year 2030. Again, nothing new, but the author actually saves mankind in the beginning by putting us on spaceships and sending us out there to look for other planets to live on. Scientists are immediately drawn to Mars and begin making it suitable for human life. Just like us humans to go in and sling up a Wal-Mart and a Starbucks! Theres already life there, but its not acid dripping aliens waiting to be destroyed by Sigourney Weaver. Instead, the aliens are a bit exotic and docile, so we make some new friends. But then things go terribly wrong! Mars 2050 is actually my favorite story, and I read it twice. Out of all 3 of the extra stories, its where the authors writing style and imagination really shines.
Last is Project Z, where scientists are in a remote jungle and tampering with genetics to create the ultimate warrior. Suddenly, all contact with the compound is ceased and we send in a military unit called the RAZOR to find out what happened. Now, this story begins with potential, especially since we are obviously in the future (RAZOR travels in a really cool spaceship), but this thriller suffers from too much description and too many semicolons. The author gives too much useless detail where its not needed, and not enough where I did want it. Sorry Matt! Heres a sample:
The squads Commander was Craig Hawking; he was tall and like the others was in the squad uniform, which was black with grey patches, and an armour chest plate. Craigs hazel eyes swept over the other members of the unit: Sergeant Darren Smyth, Corporal Charlotte Jenkins, and Privates Leon Martinez, Marvin Dawson, Brian Pippin, Christopher Weaver, Nicole Trent, Patrick Williams, Alan Peters, Maria Pedro, Kristine Clayton, Neil Lewis, Peter Samson, Richard Hayes, Thomas Butler, Shawn Gray, Mikhail Francis, Matthew Black, and Jamie Cross. All were battle-hardened marines skilled in various versions of combat.
Lastly, the title story Vampire City is where the author has put forth his best effort. Jason Brook, a former British Special Police member, is called to America by an old friend who believes someone is trying to kill him. Simon, the friend, believes his neighbor is a vampire.
The story that plays out is a fun sexy twist on the vampire story as a whole, with a bit of predictable mystery thrown in. It only suffers from the authors love of detail that only clouds up the story and causes a reader to stumble through. This is an old argument that Im afraid as our attention spans decrease, the lack of detail side of this fuss will win. I remember reading in Stephen Kings On Writing, that he didnt like to spend any time on describing what characters looked like or what they were wearing. He left all of that up to the readers imagination. Bellingham, Im afraid, spends too much time on describing appearances, and then the progress of the story suffers. For instance, when Jason arrives at Simons house in the very beginning, there is no dialog for 7 pages. We are only told what is happening as they first face the mysterious female vampire, rather than being shown.
Overall, Matthew Bellinghams book is a nice attempt and has great potential. The art gallery on his website proves that I think his writing style would be excellent for comics or graphic novels. The cover of this book is superb, and with a little polishing and practice, I know future work from this author will be just as appealing.
Review Two [4 out of 5 stars]
`Vampire City and Tales from the Shadows by Matthew Bellingham is full of plenty of action and adventure. If you are into Vampires, Zombies, guns and other wild critters of the "shadows" then this is the book for you. Bellingham doesn t hold back on the descriptive nature of his stories. I wouldn t read this and then be alone! Kudos to author Matthew Bellingham for bringing to life that of the undead and scary nature!
Review Three [5 out of 5 stars]
Matthew Bellingham proves that the pen is mightier than the sword with his first book "Vampire City and Tales from the Shadows". If you are a fan of any horror sub genre then this is the book for you, 200+ pages of fantastically amazing story which will keep this book in your hands until you have finished it.
Matthew has managed to take existing ideas and twist them round and after putting more logic behind them has re introduced them in a different and fresh style, it is because of that reason I have chosen "Vampire City" as my favourite story from the book.
These reviews came as a surprise but you can see why Im proud of them.
Matthew
Well Ive got a few reviews of it and I thought id share them as it is something Im proud of and also gives me a chance to thank the members of the forum who have read my stuff in the past and commented on it- If any mods believe this topic is breaking any rules feel free to delete this.
Review One [4 out of 5 stars]
Okay, put all of your preconceived thoughts away. Matthew Bellinghams book, Vampire City and Tales from the Shadows, is NOT just another vampire story. Sure, there are lots of them out there. We all know who Anne Rice is. Stephenie Meyer has earned her place on the New York Times Bestseller with her thick YA series. But Bellingham has actually written a book that has a bit more to offer than just some dramatic old blood sucking villains. His book has much more than bite!
The title story is actually in two parts followed by three other short stories, each having its on different set of characters and plot that attempt to keep you awake at night. Well discuss those first.
Holocaust of the Dead is a fun zombie story. It takes place in a town where strange dog attacks are taking place and turning the survivors into the undead, while one man fights for his survival. Sound familiar? Yeah, I immediatly conjured up images from movies like 28 Days and I am Legend. Heres a taste:
Slowly he stepped towards the corner; he heard a tearing sound. Eventually he came to the Dr; the zombie was eating him. Keith was dead; his stomach had become the creatures dinner.
Its a quick read at 32 pages, and although it doesnt present the reader with any new take on the living dead theme (does one even exist?), I still found it to be a fun engaging, and even humorous, read at times. I think it would make an excellent graphic novel or comic. If there are any artists out there interested in a project, maybe you should get in touch with Matthew.
Next is my favorite of the other stories: Mars 2050. Its a science fiction spin on the end of planet Earth in the year 2030. Again, nothing new, but the author actually saves mankind in the beginning by putting us on spaceships and sending us out there to look for other planets to live on. Scientists are immediately drawn to Mars and begin making it suitable for human life. Just like us humans to go in and sling up a Wal-Mart and a Starbucks! Theres already life there, but its not acid dripping aliens waiting to be destroyed by Sigourney Weaver. Instead, the aliens are a bit exotic and docile, so we make some new friends. But then things go terribly wrong! Mars 2050 is actually my favorite story, and I read it twice. Out of all 3 of the extra stories, its where the authors writing style and imagination really shines.
Last is Project Z, where scientists are in a remote jungle and tampering with genetics to create the ultimate warrior. Suddenly, all contact with the compound is ceased and we send in a military unit called the RAZOR to find out what happened. Now, this story begins with potential, especially since we are obviously in the future (RAZOR travels in a really cool spaceship), but this thriller suffers from too much description and too many semicolons. The author gives too much useless detail where its not needed, and not enough where I did want it. Sorry Matt! Heres a sample:
The squads Commander was Craig Hawking; he was tall and like the others was in the squad uniform, which was black with grey patches, and an armour chest plate. Craigs hazel eyes swept over the other members of the unit: Sergeant Darren Smyth, Corporal Charlotte Jenkins, and Privates Leon Martinez, Marvin Dawson, Brian Pippin, Christopher Weaver, Nicole Trent, Patrick Williams, Alan Peters, Maria Pedro, Kristine Clayton, Neil Lewis, Peter Samson, Richard Hayes, Thomas Butler, Shawn Gray, Mikhail Francis, Matthew Black, and Jamie Cross. All were battle-hardened marines skilled in various versions of combat.
Lastly, the title story Vampire City is where the author has put forth his best effort. Jason Brook, a former British Special Police member, is called to America by an old friend who believes someone is trying to kill him. Simon, the friend, believes his neighbor is a vampire.
The story that plays out is a fun sexy twist on the vampire story as a whole, with a bit of predictable mystery thrown in. It only suffers from the authors love of detail that only clouds up the story and causes a reader to stumble through. This is an old argument that Im afraid as our attention spans decrease, the lack of detail side of this fuss will win. I remember reading in Stephen Kings On Writing, that he didnt like to spend any time on describing what characters looked like or what they were wearing. He left all of that up to the readers imagination. Bellingham, Im afraid, spends too much time on describing appearances, and then the progress of the story suffers. For instance, when Jason arrives at Simons house in the very beginning, there is no dialog for 7 pages. We are only told what is happening as they first face the mysterious female vampire, rather than being shown.
Overall, Matthew Bellinghams book is a nice attempt and has great potential. The art gallery on his website proves that I think his writing style would be excellent for comics or graphic novels. The cover of this book is superb, and with a little polishing and practice, I know future work from this author will be just as appealing.
Review Two [4 out of 5 stars]
`Vampire City and Tales from the Shadows by Matthew Bellingham is full of plenty of action and adventure. If you are into Vampires, Zombies, guns and other wild critters of the "shadows" then this is the book for you. Bellingham doesn t hold back on the descriptive nature of his stories. I wouldn t read this and then be alone! Kudos to author Matthew Bellingham for bringing to life that of the undead and scary nature!
Review Three [5 out of 5 stars]
Matthew Bellingham proves that the pen is mightier than the sword with his first book "Vampire City and Tales from the Shadows". If you are a fan of any horror sub genre then this is the book for you, 200+ pages of fantastically amazing story which will keep this book in your hands until you have finished it.
Matthew has managed to take existing ideas and twist them round and after putting more logic behind them has re introduced them in a different and fresh style, it is because of that reason I have chosen "Vampire City" as my favourite story from the book.
These reviews came as a surprise but you can see why Im proud of them.
Matthew