The Cerebral Writer - Blog

Book Review: DESTINATION UNKNOWN by Trent Zelazny

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:05:32 -0800

When a couple finds itself in possession of a briefcase filled with $160,000 of obviously illegally obtained $100 bills, its criminal owner terrorizes the two in his attempt to retrieve it.

Destination Unknown is a tense and at times heart-wrenching psychological piece in the vein of the classic stalker thriller. The author's style is bold, the characters well developed, and the pace nearly perfect. Although formulaic, Zelazny knows his genre and takes great efforts to turn common cliches on their heads. While I did not personally like the stylistic choice to fall into present tense in some internal dialog, it is clearly a stylistic choice and the story's prose is otherwise superb.

Indy Books: Your Take

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:59:15 -0800

There has been much speculation lately on the merits and drawbacks to independent publishing. From the success of self-published author Amanda Hocking to reports of over-saturation in the e-book market, there are definitely a lot of opinions floating around. An article released on Monday through the Guardian suggests the current self-publishing market is comparable to recent dot-com and housing bubbles, and that very soon it is sure to burst.

While there is some merit to issues of over-saturation and quality control, I'm not really sure I agree with the comparison. Perhaps it's just wishful thinking on my part as an Indy author, but I'd like to think changes that have come with the newest publishing paradigm shift are a step in the right direction. I'd like to think Amanda Hawking is not just a lucky fluke in an otherwise dark and drying mire.

What do you think? What has been your overall experience with self-published authors? Has your opinion on the matter changed at all since the Indy boom first began?

WORLD-MART: What Readers Are Saying

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:04:22 -0800

Reviews and feedback have been pouring in for World-Mart—and much to my relief, most have been enthusiastic. I wrote World-Mart in response to the death of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., determined to create not only a dystopia for modern times, but a payment of homage to the genre. Tucked throughout the work, you’ll find allusions to numerous greats of science fiction past, hints to a future world that could easily come to pass, and subtle references to the death of an important and meaningful literary era.

Given the times, I knew I was taking a huge chance with a corporate American dystopia, especially one that both pays homage to the great dystopias of recent past and raises present day issues, so I’m delighted that so many readers have been able to understand and appreciate my intentions for writing it. Here are some of the latest:

Goodreads:

“This book can stand with the Classics.” (5 stars) –Marilyn

“This book for me was enjoyable to read even if it didn't have a happy ending.” (4 stars) –Andrew F.

“This is a thought-provoking and quite frightening book.” (4.5 stars) –Kat

“Frighteningly wonderful. It freaked me the hell out and I hope that our society never becomes like it. Good job!” (5 stars) –Jesse

Amazon:

“Amazingly good a great view of the future bogged down in corporate redtape and micromanaged lifestyles. Great characters in a gloomy and realistic world.” (5 stars) –Mike

“A chilling vision of the future which is all too believable. The logical, if frightening, conclusion to corporatism, environmental destruction, and the 1% left unchecked. Ms. Lane's writing flows effortlessly, I read this straight through and could not put it down.” (5 stars) –Nick S.

“Would go nicely on a shelf with 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. I highly recommend this one.” (5 stars) –T. Zelazny

“A very good read. I thank the author tremendously and look forward to reading more from her.” (5 stars) –Andrea

World-Mart also recently placed in the top ten finishers in this year’s Predators and Editors Readers’ Poll. Here are the voter comments:

“Ms. Lane hit the nail on the head in terms of what a sci-fi book needs to be in today's literary world. Bravo!”

“Great Book!”

“It's the best book on the list. Mrs. Lane is so talented!”

“One of my favorite authors. I'm a fanatic for her writing.”

“World-Mart was an awesome book!”

“Loved this book. Dystopia at its finest!”

My thanks to all who have taken the time to read, review, and recommend World-Mart. For those who would like more information, or to check out more reviews, stop by Goodreads and Amazon.

Available in paperback and electronic formats:

Book Review: WHISPERS FROM THE DARK by Bryan Hall

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:31:28 -0800

Bryan Hall’s Whispers from the Dark is an excellent collection that kept me coming back for more. With the exception of “Dirt Don’t Hurt,” which I found creepy but without substance, all of the stories in this collection are either very good or exceptional. The finest of them, which includes “Secrets Beneath,” “Valenchenko in the Dead City,” and “The Swim,” are of the same caliber as Stephen King at his best. These stories are masterfully written and will surely haunt me for some time. I highly recommend this collection and rate it an enthusiastic 4.75 stars.

Free Today at the Dome" The Search for Intelligent Life"

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:25:45 -0800

My speculative, Rod Serling-inspired short story "The Search for Intelligent Life," a selection from
Of Mind and Matter, is free today at the Dome's Fiction Friday.

This is the shortest of three stories that take the reader through three very different perspectives on alien intelligence. Three ... two ... one ... contact: http://www.scifisaturdaynight.com/?p=5444

Of Mind and Matter is available through Amazon for only .99:

BREAKING BAD: Measuring Up Walter White

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:45:53 -0800

I first discovered AMC’s BREAKING BAD when the show was already around halfway through its second season. I happened upon the episode by chance, but I knew immediately when I saw it that AMC had something exceptional. The premise seems mundane enough: After finding that he has stage three lung cancer, a high school chemistry teacher begins cooking methamphetamines with the hope of leaving behind a nest-egg for his growing family. What is far from mundane is everything else about the show: the writing; the directing; the acting. Combined, BREAKING BAD is arguably the most brilliant television show I’ve seen.

AMC recently began showing the series from the beginning in anticipation of its upcoming season. While I have enjoyed viewing the episodes I missed and look forward to revisiting the ones I’ve already seen, watching tonight’s episode “Crazy Handful of Nothin’” was impossible to watch without feeling inspired to write about just how brilliant this show is.

At this point in the series, chemist/teacher/cancer victim Walter White has just begun chemotherapy and is lying to his family about where he’s getting the money to pay for his $1,500.00-a-pop treatments (his HMO won't cover them). He wants to do the right thing by his family, but this has already begun to leave a wake of destruction in all other facets of his life. This duality within his character is further demonstrated by his choice in pseudonym: Heisenberg.

Werner Heisenberg was a physicist who came up with the Uncertainty Principle, which basically states that one cannot accurately measure the position of a particle while also predicting that same particle’s path. This principle illustrates Walt’s character in profound ways. Like a particle identified in space, where his character is going—the certainty of his future and the direction his life is heading—is impossible to gauge. The Uncertainty Principle also covers the ambiguity of enigmas like light, which behave both like waves and particles. Walter is as if two men concurrently; he is the particle and the wave, the good family man and the ever-corrupting methamphetamine cook.

This duality is skillfully demonstrated in a scene in which his hair begins to fall out from the chemotherapy. He stands in front of the mirror, looking at the image staring back at him as he takes the shaver from the bathroom counter, contemplating. The camera cuts to a shot of a crystal jar on the counter with a clear sphere as its handle. For that quick moment, we see Walt’s reflection in that as well, upside-down because of the curve of the sphere. Because of that moment, we understand that Walt’s life has been turned upside-down. He leaves the bathroom bald and transformed.

What makes BREAKING BAD so exceptional is that every episode I’ve seen contains a similar level of layers, symbolism, and profound connections. It is like fine literature on a television screen, far from what one would expect from a storyline about a man who decides to become a methamphetamine cook … and that is most likely precisely the dichotomy AMC was looking to create.

Go to http://www.amctv.com/shows/breaking-bad for more information on this mind-blowing series.

Book Review: SHINING IN CRIMSON by Robert S. Wilson

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:21:04 -0800

In this dark dystopian horror, the United States has become the Empire, a theocracy that offers no tolerance for any offense from crimes of morality to murder. Those found guilty are sent to Necropolis, the rotting remains of Las Vegas, to be devoured by its undead inhabitants. Hank, among the most recent group of convicts sent to die, is desperate to find his way out and to his son, Toby. Hank’s offense: following an ex-hooker-turned-undercover morality agent in a frantic attempt simply to talk to her, as she holds an uncanny resemblance to his deceased wife. In his scramble to survive the night, he falls into a scandal that sheds new light on Necropolis, its inhabitants, the Empire, and its very unholy leader.

This is one of the best horror stories I’ve read in some time. The mesh of religious symbolism and political commentary tucked neatly between pure horror and suspense is superb. The characters are intriguing, the pace nearly perfect, and the story practically flawless. There was a short lag in the middle of the book, and with that a couple of character motivations that left me puzzled. I couldn’t understand why the leader of the living vampires would choose exile over death for his adversary when there was no question the backlash would be dire, then go on to put full trust in those who would obviously turn on him at the first chance. The erotic scene between Hank and Rachel felt terribly out of place, given his intense suffering at the time. These issues are minor, however, compared to the brilliance of the rest of the story. I rate SHINING IN CRIMSON a very enthusiastic 4.5 stars. I highly recommend!

Free at the Kindle Store January 13-17

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:16:57 -0800

It's my birthday weekend, and to celebrate, World-Mart and Myths of Gods will both be available absolutely free at Amazon's Kindle store January 13-17.

World-Mart is a modern, corporate dystopia that follows one family's struggle to hold together while the world around crumbles all around it. World-Mart recently received a 5-star review from the Kindle book review and also finished in the top 10 in this year's P&E Readers' Choice Poll.

Myths of Gods takes a critical look at religion through an infant God's eyes in a dramatic, dark, science fantasy satire spanning from the Big Bang to present day.

Get them while they're free--and don't forget to tell your friends!

The Final Tallies Are In!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:23:47 -0800

My thanks to all who took the time to read and vote for World-Mart for this year's Predators and Editors Readers' Choice Poll. Out of a whopping 93 entries, World-Mart finished in 8th place--not bad for an indy book! Here are the top ten winners of the sci-fi/fantasy category:

1. Zero Time, T.W. Fendley, L&L Dreamspell, [link][comments]

2. Exiled: Autumn's Peril, Rosalie Skinner, MuseItUp Publishing, [link][comments]

2. Bloodbreeders Living in Darkness, Robin Renee Ray, Hellfire Publishing, [link][comments]

3. Spectra, Joanne Elder, MuseItUp Publishing, [link][comments]

4. Champion of Valor, Nicole Zoltack, Desert Breeze Publishing, [link][comments]

5. Time Pullers, Horton Deakins, 4RV Publishing, [link][comments]

6. Rex Rising, Chrystalla, Thoma, [link][comments]

7. Blood Divided, Kevin James Breaux, Dark Quest Books, [comments]

8. World-Mart, Leigh M. Lane, Cerebral Books, [link][comments]

9. Lucca: Warriors for the Light, Karen Michelle Nutt, Rebecca J. Vickery Publishing, [link][comments]

10. Pandora's Box, Gracen Miller, Decadent Publishing, [link][comments]

View the full list of standings here.

Time to celebrate!

Book Review: NAILED by David Fitzgerald

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:49:08 -0800

NAILED takes a serious look at the inconsistencies and problems with the Jesus myth, offering a rational take on it all while delving into the actual history behind current beliefs. This book is a must-read for skeptics and non-skeptics alike.