Revierw: The Breach - Patrick Leee

Title  The Breach

Author Patrick Lee

Year 2009

Stand Alone or Series Travis Chase I

Pages 384

Reading Time 14 days

Synopsis

Travis Chase, a man putting his life back together after fifteen years in prison, takes a solo hike into the Alaskan Rockies. He's just looking for a quiet place to think about his future, but what he finds is trouble: a 747, downed in remote wilderness, the wreck impossibly undiscovered by authorities. Those aboard are dead, though not because of the crash. They've been shot.

This aircraft, along with the terrifying object it was transporting, is only the beginning for Travis. Within hours he finds himself at the center of a violent conflict that spans the globe, and a secret war that dates back three decades. A war for possession of radically advanced technology—that wasn't created by human hands.

Review

This is the first book of a trilogy and it starts beautifully. I really want to read the rest and being mere 350 pages I will read them shortly. Unfortunally I am changing home so my reading time as being spent elsewhere. This book starts in action and end in action. In between we learn what is the Breach and how all things are connected.
We follow throughout the book Travis Chase and he is an interesting character, ex-cop and ex-com, and inbetween we have a couple of chapters with other characters. We also are presented with flashbacks that share a bit more about the character and plot. The other main character is Paige Campbell, a strong female with some degree of vulnerability. This is a thriller so expect short chapters and all going action (with small information about the Breach every couple of chapters). One thing that made me read this novel was the likeness (or something that remind me of X-Files) and I am all for it. Increase action, terrorism a bit of romance and you've got a decent quick read.
The plot itself is full of "What if's" and "What?". We never get the full grasp of everything is happening until the last chapter which made me read even faster.

To resume a bit...
There is a Breach where everyday several objects arrive. Mostly are useless (or they thing) and others are quite dangerous. The Breach have been sending things for several decades and one of the main scientists has gone rogue and formed a agency that is trying to overthrown the agency that leads the exploration of the Breach.
For the first page on Travis gets involved and helps the agency even not knowing what it is against the mad scientist with a entity that knows everything. But what is Tangent (the rogue agency) goal?
As the pages turn we learn of the Breach, the persons that know of it and defend it and the main antagonists. As I said the ending is not at all predictable and quite good which leaves wanting for more.

Thumbs up for this author.

8.5/10

Review: The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Title The Hunger Games

Author Suzanne Collins

Year 2008

Stand Alone or Series Book I The Hunger Games

Pages 454

Reading Time 6 days

Review

A nice YA with dystopia elements. A quick read but don't start reading if you are not expecting to read the second and third. The story ends in a cliffhanger.

This novel reminds me of Battle Royale and the Running Man by Stephen King but it's nice nevertheless. A dystopia world where a city called Capitol controls twelve areas and each are must pay tribute to it. Some gems, others mining material, others food or timber and so on. And most importantly, as a reminder of who rules each area must send two young teens to fight in the Hunger Games. And only one can survive. 

The main character is Katniss a 16yrs old girl who in my opinion is a weak character. It seems that everything happens to benefit her. In a way Peeta (another character who embarks on the games) helps her a lot. Even others from other cities help her. I think she is carried by some characters and that is a weak female role but the writer is a female so...

The Games themselves occupied half the book. The rest is divided between the life before the lottery and the Capitol training for each participant. It's like a reality show but it ends with death.

Peeta is a great character and in my opinion the only one with human feelings. Katniss is a suspicion as hell never giving much. Maybe the charactes will chance in the second and third book. 

If the writer killed Peeta in the latter books I will probably stop reading them. Because he is the main reason I love the books... 9/10

PS: I must see the movie.

PS2: You like dystopias novels? Then read this one. It's not wasted time but it's not the best out there but is not the worst

Review: Orcslayer - Nathan Long

Title - Orcslayer

Author - Nathan Long

Year - 2006

Stand Alone or Series - 8th Gotrek and Felix

Pages - 416

Reading Time - 10 days


Review
This was the eight book in the Gotrek and Felix Saga. The first was Trollslayer, followed by Skavenslayer, Daemonslayer, Dragonslayer, Beastslayer, Vampireslayer and Giantslayer. They were all written by William King but unfortunally he left and for four years there wasn't a Gotrek & Felix book. And so Nathan Long appeared and start writing them. I've already read BlackHeart trilogy and I really enjoy his writing style so I start reading this one with the same professionalism expected but of course I knew it wasn't William King (whom for me is one of the best writers on role in BL). Beastslayer, Daemonslayer and Skavenslayer are on the top five books published by Black Library and probably in the top ten of all time favourites.

But what can you expect from this book? Gotrek and Felix return from travelling to Ind, Cathay and Araby and are back to the Olde World. I really wanted to read about their adventures on that distant lands but that won't happen. They arrive in a Dwarf port and there they find out that the Empire, Dwarves and Elves are fighting Archon so Gotrek want's to travel north but due to the invasion of the Orcs and Goblins they can't leave the port of Barak Varr. There they met Hammir, a long friend (now feud) of Gotrek. Gotrek treats Hammir as an Oathbreaker (the worst name you can give a Dwarf) but Hammir enlists Gotrek help due to an old pledge made by him. With the help of several hundred dwarves they travel to Karak Hirn to take back the hold from the Orcs.

From this moment on we are present with several tries made by the duo and several other characters to open the gates to let the main army in but the Orcs are behaving almost un-orcish style giving the dwarves trouble after trouble.

I think for a being (Gotrek) that defeated Daemos or Dragons - orcs aren't that hard but Nathan Long brought an ancient being to life. This being remind me of HP Lovecraft deity but maybe I am wrong.

With this novel we don't get the humour William King gave us with each book but there is a change to the grim world Warhammer is and we get to see a lot more interaction from Gotrek with Felix. We also learn more about Gotrek past before Felix. 

The ending was good, the main evil character, as I said was in my opinion not has hard as other beings and Gotrek is still invicible and I wonder if anyone can defeated him because he already survived a single combat with a Bloodthirster of Khorne, being hit by a stone hurled by a trebuchet, being catapulted into an orc ship and falling three hundred feet off a cliff (these last ones were on this book).

Would I recommend it? Yes. Of course. It's not William King but Nathan Long is quite a good writer 8.5/10