Zombie Apocalypse! edited by Stephen Jones
Horror , Robinson Publishing , Stephen Jones / October 1, 2010

Welcome to Zombie Appreciation Month. Throughout October The Eloquent Page will take a look at different interpretations of zombies in modern literature. To begin with I’ve decided to start with a classic theme. I give you The End of the World. Will humanity triumph over the worldwide zombie plague, or will the walking dead inherit the earth? It seems only fair that the first book that I’m looking at is the one that gave me ...

The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry
Gollancz , Horror , Jonathan Maberry / September 28, 2010

Time to sneak in just one more review before Zombie Appreciation Month begins. After reading Patient Zero I was very keen to read more of Jonathan Maberry’s work. I really liked his idea of terrorists creating a pathogen that reanimates the dead and using them as a bio-weapon. Patient Zero whips along at a breakneck pace and I found the writing superb. In its sequel, The Dragon Factory, Joe Ledger and Echo team are back. However, ...

Coming Soon – Zombie Appreciation Month
General / September 24, 2010

Throughout October The Eloquent Page will be concentrating on all things undead. I’ll be reviewing a number of different literary interpretations of zombies.  From the latest anthology, via detective novels through to young adult fiction – I’ll be taking a look at how everyone’s favourite brain munchers have re-invented themselves over the last couple of years. You have been warned. Join me if you dare! [fb-shar...

FantasyCon 2010
General / September 20, 2010

When I decided to launch The Eloquent Page I made a conscious decision to try and post only book reviews. Less than three months in and here’s my third non book review related post. Didn’t take me long to jump that shark did it? I’ve lived in Nottingham for the last four and a half years but only discovered FantasyCon in 2009. In fact Mrs Cheesecake and I only discovered FantasyCon 2009 the week before and  so only managed one fu...

Soul Stealers by Andy Remic
Andy Remic , Angry Robot , Fantasy / September 10, 2010

Please note this review contains spoilers for those that have not read Kell’s Legend. When reading anything by Andy Remic you can rest assured that things are going to get brutal and bloody very quickly. I would definitely not recommend Kell’s Legend or it’s sequel, Soul Stealers, to those of you that are faint of heart. The violence is as graphic as it gets. The author doesn’t sugar coat anything. There are seas...

Angry Robot Books goes international

To celebrate the launch today of Angry Robot Books in the US and Canada please enjoy a sample chapter from one of their first releases, the magnificently brutally and action packed, Kell’s Legend by Andy Remic. For the Brits amongst you a review of the forthcoming sequel, Soul Stealers, will be published in the next couple of weeks. Angry Robot books have also just launched an eBook store. If you haven’t already I suggest y...

Ancestor by Scott Sigler
Hodder , Horror , Scott Sigler / August 25, 2010

“Secret Experiment. Tiny Island. Big Mistake” At its most basic level, the story in Ancestor by Scott Sigler could be described as a number of chases. Firstly, we have the US government trying to track down renegade bio-engineering company Genada, as they try to operate above the law. Then we have the story of evil predators chasing people around an inhospitable island in the dead of winter. It would be really easy to right off this...

Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
Gollancz , Horror , Jonathan Maberry / August 17, 2010

“When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week, then there’s either something wrong with your skills or something wrong with your world. And there’s nothing wrong with my skills.” I have a confession to make. I’m thoroughly unsettled by zombies. It doesn’t matter if they are the old style slowly shuffling undead or fast moving rage fuelled beasts made popular over the last couple of years. The whole conc...

The Road to Bedlam by Mike Shevdon
Angry Robot , Fantasy , Mike Shevdon / August 9, 2010

Please note if you haven’t read Sixty One Nails, and I strongly suggest you do, there are some mild spoilers in this review. It’s not often that I pick up book by an untested author. I’ve made this mistake in the past and ended up reading some less than stellar fiction. Fortunately, the last time this happened I was lucky.  I was in a bookshop in London and I found myself purchasing Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevdon. I ...

The King’s Bastard by Rowena Cory Daniells
Fantasy , Rowena Cory Daniells , Solaris / August 5, 2010

“The cut and thrust of political manoeuvring is never as simple as the cut and thrust of real battle” For the most part I don’t usually enjoy politics as a form of escapism. I’ve tried on multiple occasions to read The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, for instance, but the further I get in the story the less and less I care about the characters. For me all the political scheming starts to wear a bit thin. When I read ...

Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly
Matthew Reilly , Orion , Thriller / July 27, 2010

“The end of the world is approaching and only one man can prevent it…” Five Greatest Warriors is the third in the series featuring all round good guy and action hero Jack West Jr. Written by Matthew Reilly, this book continues the adventures of West and his motley crew of mismatched soldiers as they race around the globe on an international treasure hunt. Their continuing objective is to solve centuries old clues that...

PRS600 Sony Touch eReader
General / July 27, 2010

Last Saturday was my birthday and I was fortunate enough to receive a new PRS600 Sony Touch eReader. This is my second foray into eReader ownership, I have owned a Sony PRS505 since Xmas 2008 and used it daily for nearly two years.  In that time I have both loved it and loathed it for a variety of reasons. I always felt the quality of finish was lacking on the PRS505. The metallic front always seemed, to me, almost unfinished and quit...