Thoughts: Reading Challenge - 1000 Novels - Info Dump

 I like to control what I read. I like to make objectives and going for it.

So, this year I made a goal of reading 75 novels and I accomplished them with 2 months to go. This month of September I read 13 novels !!! UAU! That's 3681 pages!! more than 100  per day which I never did before and this month I arrived at 1000 books in goodreads read.

I've read more than 1000 novels but I only started counting in 2004 so what's before I didn't put anywhere. Some I remember and put it others I don't even remember so they are not important EhEh.

Well, so what can I say about my 1000 books (well 1012 now)

It's seems that my favourite genres are:

- Sci Fi (374 - Bear in mind that  this includes 87 Dr Who audiobooks)
- Horror (238)
- Fantasy (231)
- Thriller (43)
- Mystery (42) (most of them Agatha Christie)

In terms of Writers 

Besides Anthologies which have 58 novels we've got:

Agatha Christie 39
Nicholas Briggs 22 (Dr Who)
Brian Keene 17
Dan Abnett 16
Stephen King 16
R A Salvatore 15
Sandy Mitchell 12
Hideyuki Kikuchi 12
Bentley Little 11
Simon Guerrier 11 (Dr Who)
Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman 11
Brian Stableford 10
Steve Lyons 10

But this doesn't show the ratings

So only counting with 8 to 10 we've got with over 4 novels:

Dan Abnett  14 (Black Library)
R A Salvatore 13
Anthology 12 (Half are (Black Library))
Agatha Christie 8
Brian Keene 8
William King 7 (Black Library)
Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman 6
C L Werner 6 (Black Library)
Bentley Little 6
Steve Lyons 5 (Black Library)
J K Rowling 4
Anthony Reynolds 4 (Black Library)
Nathan Long 4 (Black Library)
Stephen King 4
Nicholas Briggs 4
Gordon Rennie 4 (Black Library)

So this is something, no? And there is a pattern - my favorite novels are either horror OR they are from Black Library authors. I have to concentrate more reading 8 to 10 authors... 

I've read 498 different authors - That's impressive, no?

Out of these 317 I've read 1 novel

So what now?

I will try reading 100 pages per day (probably aiming for 80 or so) because it's more realistic.

Year 1      2      3      4       5    Total % Pos

2005 3 5 10 3 12 33 45,45

2006 2 1 8 16 18 45 75,56

2007 6 4 13 5 18 46 50,00

2008 2 9 15 19 15 60 56,67

2009 5 7 14 14 13 53 50,94

2010 5 12 31 36 18 102 52,94

2011 1 3 13 23 17 57 70,18

2012 0 4 17 22 14 57 63,16

2013 5 18 25 28 11 87 44,83

2014 5 16 26 35 9 91 48,35

2015 2 7 16 5 3 33 24,24

2016 2 34 36 15 5 92 21,74

2017 0 2 8 10 2 22 54,55

2018 0 3 4 6 1 14 50,00

2019 2 2 10 4 1 19 26,32

2020 2 13 17 9 6 47 31,91

2021 5 22 14 25 8 74 44,59

Book Review: Alien: Out of the Shadows / Alien: Sea of Sorrows / Alien: River of Pain (October Horror Fest 31/31)

Three in one to finish this season's halloween . Bear in mind that the first one I've read in September but the later two were read in October

Author: Tim Lebbon
Book: Alien: Out of the Shadows
Year: 2014
Pages: 352
Part of Series: Canonical Alien Trilogy #1
Reading Time: 1 day (22 September)
Rating: 7 stars

This was a good fast read / hear to be honest. I've heard it via audiobook. I believe this was done as to be audiodrama instead of full length audiobook unless there is no narrator. With 5h length I think it was very well performed. With a vast cast of 5 or 6 voices it really help getting into the story.

This story is set in-between the first and second movie at 37 years after the first movie. If you remember the second alien movie was set 70 years or so after the first.

In this novel we get some more information about xenomorphs and how they move Frome one place to another. We get some more info on the travellers that we will meet in Prometheus movie. There are some references also to predators haunting aliens.

We get a new tale of Ripley and to me it's always a nice input.

This novel feels like the first and the second with a lot of fighting in the ship, where it's passengers are being hunted ( horror like in the first movie) and some fighting in the planet like the second movie. Both more survival horror compared with the third - more action or fourth ( more sci-fi and crap).

The author made a good story and it made my day go faster. I now want to hear the 2 and 3 novels.

PS: just don't expect anything besides alien porn filler novels to enhance your knowledge

Author: James A. Moore

Book: Alien: Sea of Sorrows

Year: 2014

Pages: 352

Part of Series:  Canonical Alien Trilogy #2

Reading Time: 5 days (9 October to 13 October)

Rating: 6 Rating

I've been reading this trilogy in audiobooks. As you know I am totally against ebooks but audiobooks it's another thing. I mean, everything to read more, right? And e-books save no time after all if I can grab a phone to read it I can grab a book. The same does not apply with audio. So, while jogging, working I've been hearing some audiobooks. This was my second novel (the first one I publish a review a couple of weeks ago).

This was is not a audiobook transcription of the novel but audiodrama with full cast - which I really enjoy - the previous forays were Doctor Who & Black Library. The voice acting are very good and it really immerse one with the story. Pure audiodrama unless by a very good voice actor it's boring and make wanna sleep.

So, this second tale reminds me of Aliens (the second movie) when Ripley is in the mines and Xenos everywhere. Here we are in the future and you've got a descendent of Ripley (which seems has some capabilities of knowing what people are feeling - kind of empath) as he is task to find and capture a xenomorph. We've got some info dump on the aliens (think Prometheus) and you've got some good horrific depictions of the aliens and really trying to make a bit of claustrophobia.

Overall very good but there are some complains - first of all it's the full length characters that exist to die and unfortunately you know it's going to happen. Then the xenomorphs point of view makes us wonder their intelligence and even asks more questions about their hatred against Ripley and Ripley descendants. Question - is there only one colony of Xenos? I don't know... I always thought Xenos were more like Tyranids without the hive mind behind telling what to do. So she destroy a couple of queens (I believe 2 - aliens and the fourth alien movie but I may be mistaken) and now everyone hates her? Then it's the timeline - so we are in the future (several hundreds years after Ripley) but everything else stayed the same? Weapons, technology, the xenomorphs didn't appear that much - are they still virtual unknown?

Btw, I have to give a star just due to special effects and acting of characters - Pretty good to be quite honest - at times I thought I was watching a movie with such vivid sensorial experience. 

Author: Christopher Golden

Book: Alien: River of Pain

Year: 2014

Pages: 352

Part of Series:  Canonical Alien Trilogy #3

Reading Time: 3 days (13 October to 15 October)

Rating: 8 Rating

Well it was a very interesting reading experience. I've been reading this when I Go to work since they are not overly complex.

This was a very good read I must say.

What you have here is a story set between the first and second movie.

The first movie was very horror claustrophobic experience. The second novel was more action, less horror yet it was one of my favourite to be honest. But I always thought that the situation they find themselves in should be more explain. How come one entire colony was destroyed (more than 100 people). We've got some glimpses I believe in the aliens extended version but it's never really that much developed. Therefore this novel was a must.

This is a audiodrama so you've got dozens of people making all voices and special effects. Very cool to see some characters that are mentioned in the movie (not counting the survivor NEWT). So as you hearing/reading you know that Newt will be the only survivor BUT now you really know how all t happened.

A must read for people who love horror mix with sci-fi mix with action. Also advisable to Alien lover who want to read more about them 

Book Review: Karnov: Phantom-Clad Rider of the Cosmic Ice (2019) Matthew Knight, Howie K. Bentley and Byron A. Roberts

Author: Matthew Knight, Howie K. Bentley and Byron A. Roberts
Book: Karnov: Phantom-Clad Rider of the Cosmic Ice
Year: 2019
Pages: 204
Part of Series: Solo
Genre: Sword and Sorcery
Reading Time:  28 February to 8 March 2021
Rating: 7 Stars


First of all this book was not written solely by Matthew Knight but also Howie K Bentley & Byron A Roberts.

In true - the novel was written like this- first write wrote a several short stories (around 30 pages) and then another write taking in consideration of that tale and then the last. In the end the first take was 90 pages and the second one was 110. (ish)

The writing is not similar at all. Byron from Bal-Sagoth is without doubt the best writer and his prose show. Although since I am not a english speaking native some stuff I had to search for - which for me it's great. Bentley is also a interesting writer and Matthew was to me the weakest - althought lets be real still far better than most writers I've beeng reading. Without doubt they enjoy sword and sorcery - Bal sagoth was memorable, so memorable than I couldn't read this without remember one of their song.. I will put here for ye...

Thwarted By The Dark (Blade Of The Vampyre Hunter)
The contemplations of Joachim Blokk:
As my sword drips black now with the unclean blood of another slain fiend, it
Occurs to me that history will most probably record me a fanatic... as for
More years than I care to remember I have dedicated my life to the caseless
Pursuit and destruction of the loathsome undead. Indeed, it was long ago that
I commenced with the wreaking of my grim vengeance upon the denizens of the
Dark, and by the blade of my sorcerous katana, Fiend's Bane, I vow they shall
All pay for taking my beloved from me! Fanatic? Mayhap. But by all the gods of
Vengeance, I'll leave a fearsome legacy 'ere I die... a legacy wrought in
Retributive bloodshed and screaming terror!

Drowned in the icy lake of tragedy
Forged in the fires of revenge
Driven by the winds which compel a man to destiny
Haunted by the whispers of the dead

Blood is black in the moonlight
As it was when I pierced the heart of my betrothed
Blood is black in the moonlight
Her undead gaze gleaming ire upon me
Blood is black in the moonlight
I held aloft her head to my grim gods
Blood is black in the moonlight
(Now I am eternally bonded to my blade)
And ever I am thwarted by the dark!

Gods of wrath, hear my vow... sate me with revenge this night!
Come to me, darksome fiends, taste the edge of ensorcelled steel!
Night has fallen, the hunt begins...
Vengeful carnage 'neath the moon!

And as I put brand to her pyre, I swore then to my gods that those vile
Creatures who tore the life and hope from my beloved's breast and replaced it
With that unspeakable sanguineous ravening would repay a hundredfold in
Slaughter and bloodshed for their misdeed... I would hunt them to their
Worm-ridden tombs, wherever they crept or slithered upon the earth, and wreak
My honed steel revenge ceaselessly unto my own grave. Such was my vow!

Aye, this bride of Masayuki steel, ensorcelled by wizards at its forging... to
Me she is as pure as the newly fallen snow, kissed by the breeze at dusk...
And yet she has supped deep of the ichors of many men and fiends alike

Shadow spawned demons ravening for my blood
Yet the thirst of my blade is greater!
Aye, all they shall feast upon this night will be cold steel!
I hear the slither of scales on silk
Fiend's Bane replete with undead slaughter!

I am the scourge of the devils who dwell in darkness...
(but the darkness writhing in my own soul is so much deeper...)
Their flesh burns at the touch of my blade of searing vengeance
And I cast their malign spirits screaming into limbo!

Darkfall, and the autumn moon glimmers on my steel...
Now it is time to hunt and slay once more
For the night has come!

Change the name from Joachim to Karnov and you've got the resumé of this take.
This is a tale of revenge from Karnov a vampire killer against all manners of vampirism after having to kill his wife and child that were turn into vampirism.

So the land was invaded by vampires while Karnov was fighting somewhere else and Karnov without anything to lose he thrown himself against the army of vampires. With the help of D'Vartha and later on a vampire Arsenthine they go from place to place killing vampires. I really thought reading this I was in another bal-sagoth novel but focused on Vampire Hunter D/Castlevania.

I've also bought Lord Byron Caylen-Tor novel and I will read it in the coming weeks.
I am enjoying the sword and sorcery themes and returning to the origins.

Advisable to sword and sorcery, bal-sagoth friends.

Book Review: The Last Ritual - S A Sidor

Author: S. A. Sidor

Book: Last Ritual
Year: 2020
Pages: 352
Part of Series: Arkham Horror
Reading Time: 20 February to 27 February 2021
Rating: 3

This was a disappointing.

I can't really phantom giving the novel 5 stars because this has little to no horror. It's a story about a guy going around and not doing anything at all. The main character is a bit flash out but most other characters are not. I had to stop and read other novels in-between because it was boring.

So supposedly something happening prior in Spain that was otherworldly and upsets him. He returns to Arkham and the things that happen in Spain are connected to the ones happening in Arkham but who is to blame or is behind.

There are interesting characters like our main protagonist woman friend who is a investigador - not a real one from the game - although that is the point I will take from this.

There are some characters from the boardgame - like Calvin whereas in the game he is black and not white like in the game. If whitewashing was a very bad thing to do, what can I say about POC washing? To each it's own. I don't fvking care the colour of a skin unless it's relevant for the story.

The ending, so, spoilers, they went through a gate to somewhere?

Where N'Kai was more action, this is more investigation focus. I don't usually love action over investigation and slow pace BUT in this case it didn't work for me.

I've bought the third one Mask of Silver so let us see.