Hachette/Orbit, the publisher of OUR WAR coming out August 20, has made the first four chapters (well, most of Chapter 4) available for a free read at their website.
Click here to read this tasty preview. Hope you love it!
WE SOLD OUR SOULS by Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix’s WE SOLD OUR SOULS is a solid supernatural horror story that also has something to say about the spirit of music. I liked this one a lot.
I first read this author when I came across HORRORSTOR, a story about a haunted IKEA-type department store. I had some trouble with it, but WE SOLD OUR SOULS looked tempting enough to try, and I’m glad I did. The story follows Kris Pulaski, a washed-up, retired guitarist for the ’90s metal band Dürt Würk. The band imploded under mysterious circumstances years earlier, which she blames herself for, while the frontman, Terry Hunt, has gone on to rocket to stardom with a solo career as the “Blind King.” When Hunt announces a farewell tour, Kris seeks out her former bandmates, which sets her on a path back to Hunt, the night the band crashed, and her love of music.
The result is a solid horror story about a deal made with a Lovecraftian race and Kris’s struggle to make things right, culminating in a massive Burning Man-style Satanic concert where she must make her final stand. The straightforward story element is solid, supported by great characters you can love or hate. The story came alive for me thanks to plenty of meat and loving attention to detail about the metal scene and the life of a struggling rock band, an aspect of the novel that gives it a special personality and depth. I liked the theme related to the social forces that seek to rob us of our spirit and how music can help us reclaim it.
I had a few small criticisms, which is I wasn’t sure how the climax (while satisfying) resolved much, and there are media snippets between the chapters that interrupt more than supplement the story. But these were minor complaints for me. Overall, WE SOLD OUR SOULS is a solid, fun supernatural horror story about the power of music.
CEMETERY DANCE Reviews OUR WAR
CEMETERY DANCE recently reviewed OUR WAR, writing, “This may be one of the most important books you’ll read this year. I say that without an ounce of hyperbole. Given the current climate of our country and its cultural, political, and social polarization, Craig DiLouie has written a heart-breaking, terrifying novel which—I desperately hope—will only be a warning, and not someday viewed as prophetic.”
Thank you for your kind review, CEMETERY DANCE! Check out the complete review here.
Other reviews of OUR WAR:
“This gritty, horrifying tale of hate … sprinkled with moments of love, will leave readers with haunting memories.” – Publisher’s Weekly
“Presenting a dark alternate reality that touches the seams of current events and a possible future, DiLouie offers an uncompromising view of … patriotism in conflict.” – Library Journal
“Once again, DiLouie has managed to distill one of humanity’s greatest conflicts into a masterpiece of literature.” – The Fantasy Inn
“Harrowing dystopia.” – Kirkus Reviews, listing Our War as one of the best speculative fiction reads of August 2019
“An instant classic that will join the ranks of dystopian futures that at times feel all too real.” – New York Times Bestselling Author Nicholas Sansbury Smith
“An unflinching look at what happens when politics fail and war truly comes home, powered by the narrative shock of truth-telling.” – Christopher Brown, Campbell and World Fantasy Award-nominated author of Tropic of Kansas
“A terrifyingly believable tale that recreates the landscape of a war-torn Somalia in the city streets of America. DiLouie captures the individual tragedy of people fighting a war that destroys the very things they are trying to save.” — David Walton, author of Three Laws Lethal
“Part epic war story, part cautionary tale, Our War is brutal, unflinching, and mesmerizing. DiLouie once again delivers an emotional body-slam of a book, one that’ll leave you shaken to your core.” — Peter Clines, author of Dead Moon
“Our War further solidifies that Craig DiLouie is not only one of the best fantasists working today, he’s one of the best writers out there, period. This novel is harrowing and heartfelt, upsetting and, most of all, utterly compelling … far and away my favorite novel of 2019.” – Bracken MacLeod, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Stranded
“A gut-clenching tale of brutality, loyalties, and the destruction of the values they are fighting to save… Mr. DiLouie has created an eye-opening tale with some wicked sharp edges.” – Tome Tender
“This novel was phenomenal… The character building and world building were amazing… a great read! I would definitely recommend it!” – The Book Dragon
“A roller coaster ride of emotions … Our War reminds readers what we as human beings take for granted every day and that we need to appreciate everything we have because, within a moment, it can all be taken away.” – Rollout Reviews
THE NORTH WATER by Ian McGuire
Ian McGuire’s THE NORTH WATER reads a little like Cormac McCarthy, a little like Joseph Conrad, to provide a unique and brutal tale about whaling in the 1800s and the illusion of morality.
The story centers on two men: Henry Drax, a harpooner about to sail with THE VOLUNTEER, a whaling ship, and Patrick Sumner, a disgraced Army surgeon fresh from the Indian Mutiny and looking to escape civilization a while by joining the expedition. Drax lives in the moment and does what he likes, an amoral man committing immoral acts. Sumner means well and believes in humanity’s innate goodness and potential, but is continually suffering the consequences of the ill machinations of men claiming to have good on their side.
The story is simple: THE VOLUNTEER ventures into the Arctic and finds disaster, putting Drax and Sumner on a collision course. The writing is extraordinary, a spare, compelling prose that turns pages, brings the past to life, and elevates the mundane brutality to something like myth. The moral of the story is also simple, revealed in Sumner’s decision to bend morality’s elastic quality to his own benefit and survival, pushed to the point of giving up his illusions.
The tale concludes with less of a bang than one would expect given the long setup, but overall, it’s a powerful ride. I greatly enjoyed it as historical fiction and for its compelling storytelling and themes.
The Fantasy Inn Reviews OUR WAR
The Fantasy Inn recently reviewed OUR WAR, my novel about a second American civil war coming from Orbit August 20, 2019, writing, “Once again, DiLouie has managed to distill one of humanity’s greatest conflicts into a masterpiece of literature. Where classics like 1984 or Brave New World warned of dystopias set years in the future, it’s only too easy to envision a world like the one presented in Our War becoming reality in mere months.”
The Fantasy Inn added:
“DiLouie pulls no punches and his books force us to take a long hard look in the mirror to examine uncomfortable truths… [He] shows an uncanny knack for capturing what it means to be human. I came into this book expecting a particular political point of view to be favored. Instead, vastly different beliefs were portrayed with compassion and understanding. I fell in love with characters on all sides of the war, complex humans capable of both good and evil.”
Thank you for the kind review, Fantasy Inn!
Check out the complete review here.
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY Reviews OUR WAR
Publisher’s Weekly recently reviewed Our War, coming out from Orbit August 20, writing, “This gritty, horrifying tale of hate … sprinkled with moments of love, will leave readers with haunting memories.”
The complete review is here.
Other reviews of Our War so far:
“Presenting a dark alternate reality that touches the seams of current events and a possible future, DiLouie offers an uncompromising view of … patriotism in conflict.” – Library Journal
“An instant classic that will join the ranks of dystopian futures that at times feel all too real.” – New York Times Bestselling Author Nicholas Sansbury Smith
“An unflinching look at what happens when politics fail and war truly comes home, powered by the narrative shock of truth-telling.” – Christopher Brown, Campbell and World Fantasy Award-nominated author of Tropic of Kansas
“A terrifyingly believable tale that recreates the landscape of a war-torn Somalia in the city streets of America. DiLouie captures the individual tragedy of people fighting a war that destroys the very things they are trying to save.” — David Walton, author of Three Laws Lethal
“Part epic war story, part cautionary tale, Our War is brutal, unflinching, and mesmerizing. DiLouie once again delivers an emotional body-slam of a book, one that’ll leave you shaken to your core.” — Peter Clines, author of Dead Moon
“Our War further solidifies that Craig DiLouie is not only one of the best fantasists working today, he’s one of the best writers out there, period. This novel is harrowing and heartfelt, upsetting and, most of all, utterly compelling … far and away my favorite novel of 2019.” – Bracken MacLeod, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of Stranded
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 22
- Next Page »