Author: anninyn

Book Review: The Last Night, by Nico Rosso

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[1. Review copy provided by Carina Press]

After a chain of earthquakes ravaged the globe, long-dormant viruses were released into the air, turning many humans into creatures with an appetite for human ashes. Erica and a group of survivors are barricaded in a half-destroyed hotel, and every day brings them closer to being devoured by the seemingly unstoppable ashers.

Even though Erica is a fighter, she’s tired of just surviving…

When a mysterious stranger rides into town, everything changes. Jake knows how to kill the ashers, and he’s the only man brave enough to leave the safety of the hotel in search of a better life. Erica and Jake make a deadly fighting team, with even hotter sparks flying between them. But Jake has survived this long because he rides alone. He doesn’t trust easily, especially in this harsh new reality. Can Erica convince Jake that living is more than just surviving to the next day?

I’ve tried to write post-apocalyptic erotic romance before. Despite the fact this is the second in the genre I’ve reviewed, there’s a huge gap there. I’d personally like to read more of it, and because I believe in writing what I’d like to read, I made the attempt.

I wasn’t very good at it. It turns out, I am not good at writing desire and sex. I am extraordinarily good at writing people having awkward romantic feelings for each other that sort-of maybe get kinda fulfilled towards the end, but I cannot write erotica. Because of that, I am always pleased to read the good stuff.

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Heart Land : Children surviving the Zombie Apocalypse

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Here at ICoS we are SUPER LOOKING FORWARD to when Heart Land is made, after seeing the kickstarter funded trailer.

In a unique take on the genre, Heart Land has kids as the point of view characters. Here’s what the makers have to say about it:

HEART LAND is the brutal allegory of a group of children in Middle America struggling to survive in the wake of a zombie apocalypse.  Some have called it “Lord of the Flies” meets “28 Days Later” where the zombies themselves act as a backdrop to the conflict that unfolds as the children attempt to build a rudimentary society of their own making…

Sounds bloody brilliant to me.

And below the cut is a video to whet your appetite.

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Book Review: Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

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[1. Robopocalypse was provided for review by Simon & Schuster]

Twenty years from now, a high-level artificial intelligence known as Archos comes on-line…and murders its creator.

Humanity has no idea when it starts to silently take over our cars, power grids, aircraft guidance systems and computer networks.

In the early months, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of humans, but most of us are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.

At a moment known later in history as Zero Hour, every mechanical device in our world rebels against us, setting off the Robot War that both decimates and – for the first time in history – unites humankind.

Something I’ve had to learn with my increasing review schedule is this: Just because a book is good doesn’t mean I’ll like it, and just because I like a book doesn’t mean it’s good.

I like this book a lot. But, objectively speaking, it’s not that good. It’s action-y brain candy, and there is nothing wrong with that.

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Some depressing truths.

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The Apocalypse (hell, any massive disaster which you may need to survive) is not going to be fair. Books and Films and Comics give us the impression that, as long as we’re a ‘main character’ we’ll make it. Oh, there’ll be tragedy and horror along the way, and people will die almost as if it was designed to have an emotional impact, but we’re the leading characters. We’ll make it!

Most people see themselves as the leading characters in their own story. The fact is, this won’t be a story, and we can’t all make it.

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The Zombie Apocalypse is COMING NOW.

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At least if reports coming in from Africa are to be believed.

The ‘Nodding Disease’ is a virulent condition affecting African children in Uganda. The symptoms include seizure, bizarre personality changes, mental degradation, and, in a so-far unconfirmed report, irrational violence in a small number of victims. The CNN report actually refers to the victims as ‘zombies’

According to reports, one mother of infected children has to tie them up whenever she leaves the house, or they wander around and ‘set fires’ randomly with no seeming reason. The children cannot be reasoned with, and will attempt to gnaw through their restraints.

Infected children are doomed to a slow, mental degradation, leading to loss of speech, partial paralysis, personality changes and the supposed violence.

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Ruin is a thing of Post-Apocalyptic beauty.

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Ruin is a short film – around 9 minutes – by Oddball Animation. A simple story set in a post apocalyptic world.

And it is BEAUTIFUL. Stunningly animated with wonderful music.

Seriously. Look.

 

Ruin

Wasn’t that lovely? That is how I like my post-apocalyptic worlds. Overgrown, crumbling and filled with remnants of old tech. Someone needs to give Oddball Animation a boatload of money to make a feature length thing. I would watch it, and so would you.

Happy Anniversary TO US.

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This month, ICoS turns a year old. In this year, we’ve been much more successful than we thought we ever would be- we’ve even made some money ($7.16 each) from the ads! From a tiny little nerd spot, we’ve come on in leaps and bounds. GO US.

If you’ve been here from the start, you’ll have noticed the changes we’ve made. Well, more are coming. Don’t worry, we’ll never lose our focus on the trivial aspects of post apocalyptic living, nor our dark humour and irreverence. It’s who we are.

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Book Review: This Perfect Day by Ira Levin

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[1.Provided for review by Open Road]

Considered one of the great dystopian novels-alongside Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange and Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World-Ira Levin’s frightening glimpse into the future continues to fascinate readers even forty years after publication.

The story is set in a seemingly perfect global society. Uniformity is the defining feature; there is only one language and all ethnic groups have been eugenically merged into one race called “The Family.” The world is ruled by a central computer called UniComp that has been programmed to keep every single human on the surface of the earth in check. People are continually drugged by means of regular injections so that they will remain satisfied and cooperative.

They are told where to live, when to eat, whom to marry, when to reproduce. Even the basic facts of nature are subject to the UniComp’s will-men do not grow facial hair, women do not develop breasts, and it only rains at night.

With a vision as frightening as any in the history of the science fiction genre, This Perfect Day is one of Ira Levin’s most haunting novels.

Grade: DNF

The trouble with classics and parents of a genre is that they often use tropes that are very common to the modern reader, or tropes that are outright nauseating due to values dissonance. Even if these things were acceptable and new when the book was written, a modern audience may struggle.

I struggled with this book. It’s not that I’m a girl with no love for the classics and no ability to look beyond the demands or the era in which a book was written- I’m probably one of the few people who reads classic literature for fun.

I just… really stuggled with this one.

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I am your post-apocalyptic benevolent dictator.

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Oh yes, I am. It’s time to be honest with you – I don’t prepare so I can spend the next thrity years of my shortened life span grubbing in the dirt. I prepare so that I can make you do that for me. And you’ll do it, because by then you’ll love me.

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