The Six-Gun Tarot by R.S. Belcher

When I first cracked open R.S. Belcher's debut, I wasn't really sure what to expect. The early publicity called it a mix of Buffy and Deadwood, though, so I was definitely on board!

Jim Negrey almost died in the desert. Fortunately, a man called Mutt came to his rescue. Mutt heard that Jim was on his way and he trekked out to find him, herding him to safety in Golgotha. Now, Golgotha is a strange little town: the sheriff seemingly can't be killed and there have been some incidents of late where folks seem to be going a bit mad. And beneath the nearby mountain an ancient force is stirring, one that could lay waste to Golgotha and much more. 

I really had to mull over how to present this review. On the one hand, Belcher's debut is highly entertaining. On the other, there's a LOT going on! (Hence my super in a nutshell synopsis above.)

The story shifts between a number of characters: Jim, Mutt, Maude - a very Buffy-ish character, the mayor - a Mormon tasked with protecting the church's secrets and secrets of his own, a local shop owner with a very interesting way of staying connected to his dead wife, the local vet who dabbles in some questionable scientific methods, and a slew of others.

The story also features a lot of flashbacks. The ones that really threw me were the beginning of creation stories. Whew! They threw me for a loop when they first started appearing. Others are background on various characters -- Maude and Jim, for example.

I'd like to say that the story could have been improved by a little more focus -- in fact, I'd have preferred Jim as the main character of the story. As the story plays out, though, Belcher's multi layered story begins to make much more sense.

In the growing (and welcome for my part) trend of weird westerns, I have to say that Belcher's Six-Gun Tarot is definitely a fun entry.

New Releases 2/5/13

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

The Woman From Paris by Santa Montefuire

The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb

The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke

Shadow on the Crown by Patricia Bracewell

The Crook Factory by Dan Simmons (reissue)

Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell

Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner

The Future Arrived by Phillip Rock

Did You Miss Me by Karen Rose

The Pretty One by Lucinda Rosenfeld

The Promise of Stardust by Prescille Sibley

Blood Oranges by Caitlin R. Kiernan

A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry

The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns

A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Pantomime by Laura Lam

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Blaze by Laurie Boyle Crompton

The Ruining by Anna Collomore

City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Forster

New on DVD:
Flight
Deadfall

New reviews at Bookbitch.com:
The Prey by Andrew Fukuda
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

Morning, all! I'm a stop on the TLC tour for Wiley Cash's A Land More Kind Than Home this morning.

I'm going to kick off the post with a video that I know has been making the rounds, but it's too hilarious to pass up & since it's the Top Ten Reasons Your Book Club Should Read A Land More Kind Than Home, I'm going to link to the publisher's reader's guide at the end of this post.

Now, I'm more excited than usual about this particular tour because I learned I have something pretty cool in common with Wiley Cash. He earned his PhD at my alma mater, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. How freaking awesome is that?!

Jess Hall and his brother Stump kind of make a habit of snooping around in spite of their mother's warnings. When the brothers witness something they shouldn't, Stump is singled out and suffers the consequences. In their small town of Marshall, people are used to keeping secrets. This time, though, those secrets result in a tragedy worse than anyone could imagine.

What struck me first about A Land More Kind Than Home is the fact that Cash is able to evoke such a strong sense of place with his prose. The book reads quite quickly and there's never a feeling of being bogged down by too much information, and yet the town of Marshall and the people who live there are so carefully built and well represented that it all feels real. In his blurb, Ernest Gaines called Cash's writing "... strong, clean, direct and economical...," and I honestly can't think of a better way to sum it up.

The other thing that got me about this book was the deep sense of sadness I felt in reading it. At times I was almost overwhelmed by how tragic the story is. Which is not to say that Cash spends any real time bombarding the reader with depressing detail, but that the underlying implications of this story are heart wrenching. Cash discusses the inspiration of the story in an interview with Adriana Trigiani. That inspiration -- an autistic boy who died as a result of a "healing" -- really is tough to swallow. I can easily see how Cash would feel compelled to tell that boy's story and I think it's quite impressive how he's done that with this debut.

Each of the narrators gives us a different viewpoint into the story. We begin with Adelaide Lyle who makes it clear that Pastor Chambliss is up to no good. Nine year old Jess Hall is the second narrator we meet and his point of view is sharp and clear yet believably that of a child. The third narrator is Clem Barefield, the local sheriff. Clem has a history with Jess's family, one that comes out in more detail as the story progresses. Together, their pieces make up a whole that is addictive in its readability.

From start to finish, I was amazed with this book. I'd seen previous reviews singing Cash's praises but until I dove in myself, I wasn't really sure about all the hype. Now having read it, I can admit that A Land More Kind Than Home is 100% worthy of all of the praise it's been garnering. This is the kind of book that appeals to a wide range of readers. It's a fast paced and relatively easy read, it's southern fiction featuring a small -- almost insular -- setting, it deals with compelling and thoughtful ideas, and it's extremely well written.

For more stops on the tour visit the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Cash, his work, and upcoming events, check out his official website. You can also like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

As promised, here's the link to the Reader's Guide and you can read an excerpt here.

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Readers, I have to say I'm always a bit worried whenever I have a string of fabulous reads. It makes me fearful there will be a string of stinkers to follow! Happily, that has so far not been the case. Today is the release date for Megan Shepherd's debut, The Madman's Daughter, a new teen twist on the 1896 H.G. Wells science fiction classic, The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Believe it or not, I have actually read The Island of Doctor Moreau. My non-required classics reading is definitely lacking in some areas but in 1996 a new film adaptation starring Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando was released and I did a compare/contrast paper between the book and the movie. I honestly can't recall the quality of the film (Mike says it was creepy) and while I'm sure my MTI version of the book is lurking around here somewhere, I can't lay my hands on it at the moment. My point is that I have more than a passing familiarity with the story and was super stoked about the The Madman's Daughter. 

Juliet Moreau's father was once a noted and respected surgeon. Their family was in the upper-crust of respected London society and they wanted for nothing. All of that changed when rumors of the doctor's research started surfacing. With his reputation ruined and his career in tatters, Doctor Moreau abandoned his wife and daughter. That was six years ago. Since then, Juliet's mother has passed, leaving the sixteen-year-old responsible for supporting herself. She's able to find work cleaning at the local university, but is barely scraping by. Juliet's long believed that her father must have died as well. After all, she can't imagine that he would have left them - her - to suffer so. But when some local medical students show up with Doctor Moreau's notes in hand, Juliet is no longer so certain. She tracks the notes to a local inn but instead of her father, she finds his assistant, Montgomery, who admits that Doctor Moreau is in fact alive and well. He insists that it's impossible to bring her to him, but an accident at the university leaves them no choice. Juliet finds herself aboard a ship bound for a remote island off the coast of Australia and while she's always wondered about the truth behind the rumors that ruined her father's career, she is ill prepared for what will be revealed.

Shepherd's debut is a clever and exciting take on Wells's classic and I'd be surprised if it didn't turn a few new readers onto his work.

This is another spectacular cross over for teens and adults -- and for readers who are familiar with The Island of Doctor Moreau. But you don't have to be at all. The Madman's Daughter stands on its own two feet and will still be a fabulous read for anyone who's not read Wells.

I loved the atmosphere of the book - from the dark and dreary corridors of the university to the lush and exotic but dangerous island, it all came to life in Shepherd's rich description. What's more, I really enjoyed how dark The Madman's Daughter is. In terms of subject, it's to be expected, but I wasn't really prepared for how far Shepherd would take it. It was a pleasant surprise and again makes this (in my opinion) appealing to a much broader audience. I always wanted books like this when I was a teen and appreciate it in the reads I enjoy today. I think it's a perfect realization of the story and am so glad that it didn't feel as though the author was holding anything back.

I'd not realized that this was to be the first in a trilogy. The Madman's Daughter does have and ending that can go either way and since I'd not expected any additional books until I started writing this post, I have to say that I thought the ending worked quite well as a stand alone, which makes sense considering it was originally meant to be just that. Given how much I enjoyed this one, I have to say I am definitely excited that there will be two more installments to Juliet's tale.

Shepherd has since been contracted for another trilogy and movie rights have been optioned for The Madman's Daughter as well. With this debut she's definitely made my list of must reads and I can't wait for more!

The Prey by Andrew Fukuda

Note: You should read Andrew Fukuda's The Hunt before you dive into this post!

When we left Gene, Sissy, and the other survivors, they'd made their way to a boat and were trekking up the river in hopes of eluding the ravenous vampires that were pursuing them. The Prey (releasing tomorrow) picks up right where The Hunt left off.

After their narrow escape from the Heper Institute, Gene, Sissy, and the others now fight for survival on the river. It's their only hope in remaining safe from the vampires that hunt them. With just a few notes from the Scientist to guide them, they believe the river will take them to safety. What they find at the end is beyond their wildest dreams. A solitary settlement located within the mountains seems almost too good to be true. Food is plentiful and the people within the fortress walls have no fear of the vampires outside. But Sissy and Gene quickly realize that there's something very strange in this little village: there are almost no men or boys and the women live by a strict set of rules set by the Elders in charge. And what of Gene's father, the Scientist? For Gene and Sissy, this longed for salvation may be just as dangerous as the life they've just escaped.

The Hunt was one of the most original twists on the vampire trend that I've seen in ages. The blend of post apocalyptic/dystopian setting and the last of humanity fighting to survive - with Gene passing himself off as a vampire - made the book a tense and unique read. It's hard to imagine that Fukuda could top that, but he almost does with The Prey.

The tension and suspense that made The Hunt such a quickly paced read, is still there in The Prey. Plus there are so many new questions: what's Gene's dad up to? What's up with the settlement? What awaits Gene and the others beyond this newfound village? What's up with Ashley June (who you may recall was left behind at the Institute)? And so much more!

Some of the issues that come up in The Prey are really dark. It's common in an end of the world setting to see this sort of pessimistic downfall of humanity theme, so I wasn't surprised, but Fukuda's presentation of these issues is still shocking and thoughtful. It's a pretty emotional read, to be totally honest - one that left me breathless with anticipation (cheesy as that sounds) and fearful of the fate of the characters. There is a slight tinge of hopefulness in spite of all that seems so hopeless by the time you get to the end of the book. Overall, The Prey is an incredible follow up to The Hunt.

I have to say I am really loving this series. It's a perfect cross over for both teen and adult readers. Beware, readers, there's also a cliffhanger ending here in The Prey. I think Fukuda must be laughing somewhere imagining all of us ansty as hell to get our hands on the next book!

New Releases 1/27/13

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston

She Returns From War by Lee Collins

Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin (reissue)

Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd

The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee

The Mad Scientist's Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley

Into the Dark by Alison Gaylin

Insane City by Dave Barry

Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster

Prodigy by Marie Lu

Asunder by Jodi Meadows

The Prey by Andrew Fukuda

Stolen Nights by Rebecca Maizel

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso

Blaze by Laurie Boyle Crompton

New on DVD:
The Awakening
Seven Psychopaths
The Gold Light of Day
Hotel Transylvania

33 Minutes by Todd Hasak-Lowy

Sam Lewis and Morgan Sturtz used to be best friends. But now, Morgan's going to kick Sam's butt! Sam has until recess to prepare -- just 33 minutes from now. But why is Morgan out to get Sam? You'll find out soon enough. 

So the first mini-challenge as part of the Debut Author Challenge being hosted over at Hobbitsies was to read a book outside of our comfort zone. To be honest, there's not a whole lot outside of my comfort zone. It may seem as though I took the easy way out in choosing Todd Hasak-Lowy's juvie debut, 33 Minutes, but middle grade definitely falls outside of my usual purview. And middle grade that doesn't concern magic or fairy tales... yeah.

I thought 33 Minutes was fun. I wouldn't have read it if not for this challenge, though I'm admittedly a fan of the Wimpy Kid movies (btw, 33 Minutes would be a fun Wimpy-like adaptation!). It's about a 7th grade boy who gets in an argument with his best friend and it turns into the threat of a recess fight.

I remember those days -- the days of kids chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!" and pushing their way over to see the blood fly. Though there was rarely blood involved at my school. Or maybe it could be that I wasn't interested in seeing the fights and usually headed off in the opposite direction any time there was threat of one.

But I do remember the days of schoolyard arguments and fights with best friends that seemed like the end of the world. I also am not too old to recall the lunchroom funk and the time when you realize that you and your friends seem to suddenly have nothing in common anymore. (It doesn't last forever!)

So yeah, while I wouldn't normally have picked up this book, I had no trouble getting back to the twelve-year-old mindset for a couple of hours and enjoying Hasak-Lowy's message. It was a cute read - and (like Wimpy) it has lots of fun illustrations, too!

While this is Hasak-Lowy's first kids' release, it is not his first book. He is the author of Captives and a short story collection entitled The Task of This Translator.