Nicolas WilsonReseñas

In this Indie science fiction/thriller you will find fun, action, mystery, and bizarre vegetable matter, and no more will be written about the vegetables as it would have to include too many spoilers.

The novel follows a science gone awry story line, which is carried along with an intensively funny and sharp dialogue, very much like ‘Men Who Stare at Goats’ by Jon Ronson. However, there are some more sensitive and serious interludes in the novel, and the Author writes these with just as much care as the scenes that had me chuckling down each page.

The main lead character is female, and wow what a character she is too, down to earth, ballsy, and not afraid to say what’s exactly on her mind. She also has a tender side (but don’t tell her I said so), and this is handled with great care as if the Author doesn't want his lead to find out he knows her inner secrets. The other characters in the novel are also very well written, more like the folks you would come across on a day to day basis, if you moved in the circles in the novel. The characters are fleshed out enough to make us either love them or hate, and make the weirdly wonderful plot work and, even though there doesn’t seem to be too much depth to them, it doesn't matter.

Nicolas Wilson’s background is in graphic novels (Barren Mind and Survival), and this comes through with expected and satisfying results. It enables him to make the imagery sharp and clear, whether we are reading about wild and sweeping landscapes or smaller, more intimate places. I also feel that his background helped immensely when writing about the more bizarre as he was able to translate this into the purely written genre very well.

A Word to those who are easily offended; crude language abounds in this novel, but for me that wasn't an issue and neither were the sexual references, which include great helpings of innuendo, what fun. Some may feel that the Author may have overdone this aspect, and was not on hand shaking terms with restraint and discretion; but that’s what’s different about this book. It’s not intended to be restrained and not intended to be discreet.

My secret guilty pleasure is the graphic novel, and I was delighted to find all the aspects I love from them, bar the artwork, in a ‘regular’ book. This book moves, flows, entertains and by no means sticks to the rules that our far too politically world seems to be imposing on us now. If you want something totally different to keep you entertained, while at the same time making you think about things, this is the one for you. If you've never read a graphic novel, do it; if the graphic novel is not for you, read this instead.

There is so much more I want to write about this novel, but to do so would be to release some of it humour and plot into this blog, and it is worth so much more than the few lines I can give it without spoilers.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/review-dag-nicolas-wilson/



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

In this Indie science fiction/thriller you will find fun, action, mystery, and bizarre vegetable matter, and no more will be written about the vegetables as it would have to include too many spoilers.

The novel follows a science gone awry story line, which is carried along with an intensively funny and sharp dialogue, very much like ‘Men Who Stare at Goats’ by Jon Ronson. However, there are some more sensitive and serious interludes in the novel, and the Author writes these with just as much care as the scenes that had me chuckling down each page.

The main lead character is female, and wow what a character she is too, down to earth, ballsy, and not afraid to say what’s exactly on her mind. She also has a tender side (but don’t tell her I said so), and this is handled with great care as if the Author doesn't want his lead to find out he knows her inner secrets. The other characters in the novel are also very well written, more like the folks you would come across on a day to day basis, if you moved in the circles in the novel. The characters are fleshed out enough to make us either love them or hate, and make the weirdly wonderful plot work and, even though there doesn’t seem to be too much depth to them, it doesn't matter.

Nicolas Wilson’s background is in graphic novels (Barren Mind and Survival), and this comes through with expected and satisfying results. It enables him to make the imagery sharp and clear, whether we are reading about wild and sweeping landscapes or smaller, more intimate places. I also feel that his background helped immensely when writing about the more bizarre as he was able to translate this into the purely written genre very well.

A Word to those who are easily offended; crude language abounds in this novel, but for me that wasn't an issue and neither were the sexual references, which include great helpings of innuendo, what fun. Some may feel that the Author may have overdone this aspect, and was not on hand shaking terms with restraint and discretion; but that’s what’s different about this book. It’s not intended to be restrained and not intended to be discreet.

My secret guilty pleasure is the graphic novel, and I was delighted to find all the aspects I love from them, bar the artwork, in a ‘regular’ book. This book moves, flows, entertains and by no means sticks to the rules that our far too politically world seems to be imposing on us now. If you want something totally different to keep you entertained, while at the same time making you think about things, this is the one for you. If you've never read a graphic novel, do it; if the graphic novel is not for you, read this instead.

There is so much more I want to write about this novel, but to do so would be to release some of it humour and plot into this blog, and it is worth so much more than the few lines I can give it without spoilers.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/review-dag-nicolas-wilson/



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

I really enjoyed Wilson's style. A non-stop barrage of rather vulgar sarcasm kept me smiling, while this story's nastier moments pulled no punches. Definitely not for the weak of stomach. Mages squabble over territory in this tale that seems to be one part detective story, one part gang warfare. The good guys aren't really all that 'good,' but you manage to become attached to them anyhow; and they certainly seemed better than the alternative. It was clear a lot of thought went into the background worldbuilding, and I'd really love to see more in this book universe.

Very well-designed, interesting characters. The book was not without flaws - it was difficult to determine which character's eyes you were seeing through at first, in some segments. The skillful way different elements of the story were interwoven earned this book its five stars, however.

** I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review **

Title: Homeless
Author: Nicolas Wilson
Format: PDF file
Rating: 3.75
Time to Read: 8 days
Recommend it?: yes, for those who like end of the world books

My Review: The plot behind this was very interesting. I'm not sure how i would do forever having to not be allowed into a enclosed space in fear of getting killed!

The main character, Mitchell, was a relateable character. I was confused on how old he was throughout the book.

Supporting characters, Darren and Cori, were well written and i was hoping for some romance between Mitch and Cori!

Overall a very good book, i was really wanting it to be way longer thou. it has a very promising story :]

(I received a copy of the eBook from the Goodreads group Read It & Reap in exchange for an honest review.)

4.5 Stars

I'm impressed, very very impressed.

This was such an amazing read and I was hooked right away. Once I started I had a hard time putting it down. I officially started it Monday (Thanksgiving Day here in Canada), it takes 5 top 6 hours or more, depending on the size, to cook a turkey. So while I was cooking dinner for my friends, I started to read and I got so engrossed that I kept missing my timings. I nearly missed starting the slat beef and peas pudding and that just messed everything else up. ( I was born in Newfoundland, so if what I just wrote sounds a little strange to you, google Newfie's jiggs dinner)

I absolutely loved the flow of the book, it was fast pace, and just when you thought one scam was over, another one started right back up. I was never board or lost, and even though I knew Dane was a bad guy, (evil really, devil got nothing on him) I was cheering for him to win. What's a little corporate murder anyways,

Dane does go through woman like candy, but his so meticulous, that he has them, for the most part, eating out his hand (and other places.. wink, wink) in a matter of minutes. In truth, besides being a sociopath he is a master chess player. He knows when to move, when to hold, making sure he's always five steps ahead, and most importantly, he knew when to sacrifice his ponds to secure his future victory.

I really loved the ending, because it was unforeseen, like that out of the blue last minute ditch move, that would probably throw a lesser person to rise the white flag or run himself through. Not Dane, he quickly worked out a perfect counter, that and like any good master, had a trap already in waiting.

Check and mate.

I highly recommend this book, don't get me wrong it is about how a sociopath, murdered, cheated, and pretty much destroyed others to get to the top, but even in the written word, Dane has this way of casting a spell on you, making you want him to win. That and as I said above this book is one big beautiful chess game that will have you so intrigued, that the pages won't stop turning until you reach that ultimate checkmate of a ending.

Books like this are hard to find, don't pass up this hidden gem you will not regret it.

Until we play again

Emily

Here we have a new twist on the end of the world scenario. An infestation of unknown origin takes over all enclosed spaces, so that folks must now move out in the open and live under tents. Hmmm. The destruction of humanity through mysterious creatures. Well, that's not new. This is, however, a fun read, for those who enjoy survivalist lit. How far would you go and what would you do to stay alive? Would you be part of the problem or try to help otthhers? A book to make you think. My thanks to Goodreads and the author for a complimentary copy.

3.5 stars

This is not what you're expecting. I picked it up, assuming it was a fictional account of what those crazy kids in the financial sector get up to these days (think Lehman Bros., Bear Stearns, etc.) and it is...sort of.
By the end, I knew two things. First, when the MC Mark Dane begins by telling you he's a sociopath, believe him. It may be the only time he tells the truth. Second, I'll never look at my financial advisor in the same way.
Yes, there is plenty of business jargon but it's almost incidental. The real story is the lengths Dane goes to as he claws his way to the corner office. He is a reprehensible human being, unburdened by morals or a conscience. The nicest thing you can say about him is he truly does not discriminate. He'll screw over (often literally) anyone of any race, colour, gender & religious affiliation. He's also wickedly funny.
The story opens as he is promoted to assistant VP & follows him as he slithers toward CEO. It turns out to be a war of attrition. Sex, lies & videotape plus drug dealing, backstabbing, murder and a little B&E help to level the playing field in his favour (I'm pretty sure if he went on Ancestry.com, the name "Machiavelli" would pop up in his tree).
What's scary is he fits right in. The rest of the cast aren't exactly paragons of virtue, either. What's REALLY scary is he bumps into a female version of himself along the way.
It's a fast paced, easy read with snappy, often crude dialogue. Although Dane narrates the story he doesn't let us in on everything so some events & the subsequent fallout come as a surprise. Prepare to be shocked, titillated & for bursts of inappropriate laughter.
Don't read this expecting a serious true-to-life account of illegal trading activity. It's mocking, outrageous, OTT & at times, like watching an impending train wreck. You can slap your hand over your eyes but you'll keep reading between your fingers because you have to know who will survive to walk away.

Wilson has exhaustively constructed a world where there are dozens, if not hundreds, of different types of magic being used by all the characters. All of the characters have different talents and different levels to their talent. Our main character, Knight, isn’t an especially gifted mage but he knows enough to be good at his job. The young witch that he is training, Rook, comes from a coven that put an emphasis on a more nature-oriented magic. Her background leaves her ill-prepared for the job that she is learning, namely to be a castle, and she feels out of her depth.

Wilson does an excellent job of world-building in describing the different types of magic at play and creates several scenarios where we see it all in action via several violent (and exciting) encounters. However, he does fall short in world-building outside the magical arena. We never learn what anyone looks like. I would have liked to be able to see the characters through the eyes of the author.

Wilson tells his story in first-person narratives but from different points of view. This did become confusing in a few instances when a point of view changed at the beginning of a new chapter. Each chapter is named but not after the person whose POV it is. It does take a few moments of reading to establish which character we are now listening to. Usually, there is some sort of reference in the dialogue which allows one to get their bearings. However, there is one whole chapter later in the book titled “Predators” where there is no reference to who is speaking to us. It became a process of elimination to deduce who was speaking and it was never conspicuously stated. I assumed that it was the POV of Knight but this sequence of events immediately follows him being badly injured and there is no reference to this injury so I was unsure.

The changing POV’s really brought a fun element to the story and allowed the reader to be in the heads of different characters during key parts of the story. Another fun aspect of The Necromancer’s Gambit is the humor involved. It should be stated that a lot of this humor is crude. Quite crude. And there are a lot of penis references. Like, a lot. The characters run the gamut of every conceivable penis joke possible and I laughed out loud more than once. There is definitely an adult-oriented edginess to the story which you don’t see often. That being said, if you don’t like crude, adult humor then this book may not be for you as it is ubiquitous.

The locker room humor is tempered by a violent, and sometimes very dark, story. Without giving away too much of the story I will just say that there will be times when you squirm. The author holds no punches with his descriptions of brutality and with his wicked sense of humor. He does tie it all together in an engaging and interesting plot.

Visit www.bookie-monster.com to read the entire review. Reviewed by Tamara Martin, member of The Bookie Monster review team.

Obviously it's a lot less subtle than The Handmaid's Tale. At one point one of the main characters is compared to Robin Hood and that seems an apt comparison. Only if Robin were a girl and all the Merry Men were Merry Women.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I learned of this novel from one of the Goodreads' discussion threads. After reading several reviews, I was intrigued. Previous reviewers described a "gritty novel" that addressed political tension between the sexes gone seriously awry.

I initially struggled with the author's presentation of women's rights. The plot felt like propaganda from an extreme political spectrum. After having an email conversation with the author, the story's perspective made more sense. Wilson shared he is not basing this story on the current US's struggle with pro-life/pro-abortion issues, rather it is based on the atrocities women in some parts of the world are suffering. Women in these locations face extreme oppression and are mainly valued for their childbearing capability. In light of this, the story made more sense.

This very well-written, gritty novel has an extremely fast-paced plot with graphic violence. Readers with conservative leanings may struggle with this book. I suspect readers who lack insight into the author's intent about the story may misunderstand his message. I also think those who dislike graphic violence will also not appreciate it. However, it is definitely worth a read! I look forward Wilson's future work.