Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Book Review: Break Away by Jeff Favreau

So, this week I'm trying something new. I'm going to start posting book reviews for my fellow indie authors. My first victim, Jeff Favreau's Break Away. It's the first of a two parter, horror/thriller with Darryl Dixon's favorite cross bow playpal, zombies...

If the zombie apocalypse were to arrive tomorrow, any Walking Dead fan probably has mused how they would react. Some may envision themselves as heroes, rising to the challenge of fending off the hordes of living dead. Others might fantasize about taking shelter in a deserted shopping mall until the affair blows over. (Anyone that's seen the movie how well that goes.)

I’m fairly certain that, although I’d like to think I’d become Sarah Connor and kick undead butt, I’d just end up a delicious snack. (Honestly, in the height of panic at a fun house attraction, I once shoved my mother in law, a tiny 4 ft nothing woman, directly into the path of a man in a xenomorph suit in a bid at escape. Not my best moment. In my defense, the alien suit was very convincing.)

As it so happens, “zombies” featured in Break Away, the first book of the Jordan Rose Duology by By Jeff Favreau are not exactly reanimated corpses, but living hapless victims of an insidious viral infection that’s stumped the CDC. These baddies are more like the Quarantine or 28 Days Later variety of “zombie” and about as cuddly.

Thankfully, there some well-developed protagonists in a small town in Maine to help steer the reader through the story with consistent use of point of view. The style is very descriptive in terms of visualization and engaging the reader’s senses.

Elements of the narrative did seem to slow in pacing to accommodate some essential exposition. However, I tend to read space opera where exposition can really lag a story if it intrudes into the narrative. So, no problems there!

Horror stories do not usually require a great deal of exposition/world building so it’s easy for the pacing to unfold quickly. And, at just south of 160 pages, Break Away is a quick read that keeps the action running.


As suggested by the title the action promises to continue with the second in the line-up in this thrilling two-parter. I look forward to enjoying the second installment in this series.

Check it out on Amazon. Part two of the series, Homecoming, is available as well. And I'll have a review for that up soon. 

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

My book is now on Amazon, peeps!

So after much hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth, looks like the tiny invisible internet fairies got off their pixie dust coated butts and trundled Allies and Enemies: Fallen over the the happy-go-lucky Amazon magic ebook factory! Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/ndqafo2