Travis Books

I have tried Jenny Craig and Nutrisystems and this is the easiest and quickest way to lose weight. The first two weeks were tough but I was encouraged when I saw that I was losing about one pound a day. It has now been seven weeks and I have lost 13 lbs. I need to lose about 15 lbs. to reach my target. I am always surprised to get on the scale and find that I have lost more weight since I never feel hungry. It is very practical b/c you can eat anywhere which has always been a problem for me on other diets. I love this diet and wish that I could have found it years ago. I would have saved a lot of money and learned how to control my weight before it got out of control.
My only word of caution about consuming low or no carbs (I never did the no carbs) is to take the recommended supplements. I did not take them at first and had terrible foot and leg cramps during the night. Taking calcium and potassium cured that problem and vitamin B helped with the initial feeling of weakness.
I highly recommend this diet to anyone who wants to lose weight quickly and easily.

Within the first day on this diet I was so dizzy I couldn't stand up without assistance. I thought maybe it was a fluke and I had the flu, so I tried again a few months later. The same thing happened. I was so dizzy and pukey feeling it was unbearable! Someone recommended to me to start out with more carbs. So I started with over twice the amount of carbs atkins says to start out on and I was so dizzy and sick again I couldn't get out of bed. I had my husband bring me a piece of fruit, which I ate, then I laid and bed and the feeling went away after 20 minutes. Obviously this diet isn't for everyone. It can't be everyone who feels this way or they wouldn't have been able to sell so many copies of this book, right?

I recommend this book to anyone who is planning to do Atkins. Take the time to sit down and read the book before you start the plan. Once your read the first 150 pages you are pretty good to go. When you follow the plan of Induction the first two weeks can be a challenge but it is so worth it. I have been on the plan know for 3 weeks and have lost 13 lbs. I have tried for years to loose weight and I am so happy that my sister inlaw told me about this. I feel so much better. I have more energy, I have less physical pain, and I eat better than I use to.

Atkins may be ok for some people but I have talked to a lot of people who have had ill effects from this diet, me being one of them.
I was on the diet for 7 days doing the induction phase. For 4 days prior I had difficulty sleeping, muscle cramps and disturbances in my vision. I also suffered from heart palpatations. Something I had never experienced before. And then came the headaches. I am not prone to headaches and had not had one in I don't know how long, but for three days straight on this diet I had headaches.

On day seven I woke up groggy and "foggy brained" this is all supposed to be a so called normal reaction to the diet while you are weening yourself off of carbohydrates and transforming your body into a fat burning machine. I was ill the entire day and could not get up the energy to do anything. I started having other problems too. I decided then and there I was going off this diet. I went to the store and got some whole grain bread and ate it with a salad. Within two hours the fogginess was gone, headache was gone and I felt better.

I don't care what anyone says, this diet is dangerous for some people. If you do the diet and start feeling ill you should stop it right away. Personally I wouldn't even go on it in the first place. There are no long term studies on this diet and it is frightening to think of what you could be doing to you body. When you stop to think about it how normal is it to say eat all the fat, cheese, meat, butter you want but cut down on the vegetables. I know...I know...when you move up the phases in the Atkins diet you get more vegetables, nuts, dairy, etc. But what damage are you doing to your body in the meantime?

I would think a lot before starting this diet.

Is there anyone who has had such a positive impact on American's ability to lose weight as Dr. Atkins? The science has, in fact, caught up with Atkins' assertions that sugar and excess carbohydrates are deadly. For a person who wants to know if they should take this book seriously, simply read through the success stories and testimonials here on Amazon! They really say it all. If we want to shorten our lives and make our final years miserable, a good way is to smoke, eat sugar, and be overweight. I think this book is worth reading. Stay away from red meat and processed meats, though, as they have been shown to cause colon cancer. Great companion books are THE 3:00 PM SECRET: Live Slim and Strong, Live Your Dreams and 2007 Second Expert Report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective.

A terrific read at so many different levels; Koontz has a fabulous talent for reaching the reader no matter what the reader's mood at the moment. His ability to develop characters who seem real but at the same time imaginary is really unique. Knowing Odd is a series is a comfort to those continually on the hunt for a solid read.

There was a lot of mono log but the story is interesting and the ending is exciting but sad. Overall a good book

I started this book on a Friday afternoon, read the first 20 pages or so, and by Sunday evening I had spent the bulk of my weekend waking hours (and some of my sleep time Sunday evening) stuck to this book. Once you start reading it, you literally continue turning the pages wanting more and more of this story. I usually don't allow myself to read something so quickly, because I like to savor books, contemplate what I've read every day. I couldn't allow that here - the story was moving so fast, I had to keep up. Very well written and full of suspense. The characters were believable, though some situations didn't seem to fit at first, by the end they made more and more sense. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. Odd Thomas is now one of my favorite literary characters.

First let me say that i am not the biggest Dean Koontz fan. I have read only a few and while some have been great, others have left me wanting more. So this is a review on a book that i did not have high expectations on. Several people had been suggesting this book to me for a few months and while on vacation i reluctantly picked it up. WOW! was i surprised. While on a 7 day vacation at the beach i managed to read Odd Thomas in 3 days (which for is me is quite a fast pace) and then i went out to every book store i could until i found the sequel, Forever Odd.

This book was amazing. I throughly enjoyed the twisted humor and the intense drama/thrillers in this book. The plot was well written and the character development was unlike most books i have read in the past. Trust me, if you read the highlights of this book and think that the supernatural aspects of this book will not be for you, just give it a try. I was skeptical at best and now i am a huge fan of the Odd Thomas books.

Kudos to you Mr. Koontz for a great new character! Keep 'em coming!

What do you do when you've enjoyed reading an author's books in the past but you aren't 100% sure about the genre he writes in. In the case of Dean Koontz and Odd Thomas, you put off reading the book until several years after its been released. That's what I've done, and unfortunately I missed out on an opportunity to read an amazing book filled with wonderful characters. Fortunately, there are several sequels out so I won't have to wait long to read the next installment.

Odd Thomas, a 20-year old fry cook, sees dead people. They don't talk to him, but the do communicate with him. Thomas strives for simplicity in everything in his life to avoid going insane because of his "gift". Odd is the narrator of the story and begins by saying that he is about to write about something incredibly tragic and dark. Yet Thomas is a fun a delightful narrator and the book breezes along full of humor and accurate observations of the human condtion. Odd Thomas is able to see bodachs, harmless spirits whose presence usually indicate a coming tragedy. Through dreams, spirits and an encounter with Bob Robertson, a hideous looking man that lives on the outskirts of town, Odd Thomas believes something horrific is going to happen the next day in his town.

The book follows Thomas for just two days as the responsibility of preventing a massacre weighs him down. No need to go into the plot anymore. If you've read Koontz before, you know he'll delivers. The book is full of unique and quirky characters, including Stormy Lewellen, Thomas's girlfriend. As you read, you'll learn more about the town of Pico Mundo and more about Thomas's troubled past.

I'm glad I finally read this book. It's conclusion is haunting yet uplifting and I can't wait to read more. For fan's of Koontz's more mainstream works such as The Husband or The Good Guy, I heartily recommend this book. Sure, it has shades of horror and the supernatural, but in its heart it is really a story about good and evil.

With the action this time focused on Stevie Tagart the young ward/coach driver of "The Alienist" we are given a follow-up to the original novel that is strong in some area and weak in others. The case revolves around the missing daughter of a Spanish ambassador and after the initial 150 or so pages and it is determined who took the baby the story gets into a very interesting commentary on what people thought of the role of women at the turn of the century it's a question that people asked themselves then and ask themselves now "how can a women kill her own child."

The doctor and his gang don't have an answer to that one anymore then we do in the present day but interesting attempts are made to find an answer which culminates in an appearance by Clarence Darow of all people. After the trial section of the book gets started Carr is true to form and you'll be glad you have been so patient.

I think the main problem of the book deals with the differences in the cases between book 1 and 2 and all attempts by Carr to play up all the angles aside the Angle of Darkness just doesn't have the shock value that the other book had.

I am approaching this review with the viewpoint of reading this book and I have not read the alienist yet, and this book is basically the sequel. I did like this book enough to go back and read Carr's previous volume. Although this book stands reasonably alone, I think that I would have enjoyed and understood the first part of the book by reading the first. Once you "get into" this book, it runs along as a nice mystery until two thirds through, then morphs into a courtroom drama. It does a good job of both. In addition, Carr does a nice job of setting the story in late 19th century NYC. Worth reading.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I anticipated reading this book after reading his Alienist....He does an excellent job of identifying characters and situations. I am only sorry he has not done any other books in this style, besides Alienist. I have had a difficult time finding an author with similar writings. Will just keep hoping he does another book in this time frame, and in this fashion.

The team from the Alienist is out to stop a serial killer before she kills the young child who has been kidnapped in New York City. The team proves to their satisfaction that Libby Hatch did it by (among more legitimate methods) breaking into her home two times, and arranging to have her coat stolen so they can check it out for fingerprints and hair samples. Then, when the baby is in immenent danger, they check out Libby's psychological background in upstate NY and leave the primary investigation hang for several weeks. They initiate a court case against Libby in Saratoga county, where they indulge in grave robbing for the purpose of plainting evidence to prove Libby killed her 2 children. Then they have the gall to criticize Clarence Darrow for ruining the future of the legal profession? Why did they bother having a trial at all? Since they decided she was guilty, why didn't they just kill her in New York City?- which they kind of did at the end!
I gave this book 3 stars because I did enjoy the evocation of old New York, and I am familiar with Saratoga and Renssalaer counties. It didn't even bother me that Stevie was the narrator. But when I looked back on the whole story, it gave me a chill from the actions of all sides.

Spell-bounding and heart-wrenching. I was swept back into a time of discovery that has shaped the contempary psychological hero's such Grisham on CSI. Their true predaccesor was Lazlo Kreizler, The turn of the century philanthopic psychologist who tests the bounds of society's precepts.( Can women be serial killers and still not have the right to vote?)

Honestly at first the tone of the book is so dark I wasn't sure I was going to keep reading. Next thing I knew, while there is not even a hint of a "Disney ending" - I could not put it down.

Seeing life through the eyes of the main character was illuminating and will stay with me for quite some time!

Excellent reading!

It was difficult to find the exact descriptive word for this Alice Hoffman novel. "Spectacular" "Imaginative", "Dream-Like"...I couldn't choose. I found "The Ice Queen" absolutely breathtaking. The tale's core centers around fairytails and the realization that life is more than what you wish for. The main character sees her life in "before and after" terms. A quiet librarian, she's forced into living in an uncomfortable environment and then struck by lightning. Much like being reborn, we see her evolve through relationships with a lover, her brother and her sister-in-law. I really enjoy Hoffman's books and this is one of my fave. You many never look at the color red the same way again!

Fairy tales about life and death and cheating both are the basis for this book, I think. I'm not sure and I don't think I want to know for sure. I found myself just enjoying the story as I was pulled through the lives of the characters. Bizarre and unusual yet identifiable. Not my kind of book, but I loved it. Not my style of writing, but who cares when the story line is good. So many novels written these days are long on prose and short on story telling. Not this gem. Enjoy!

This book was wonderful. If you have never read an Alice Hoffman book i would suggest this one as your first.

The protagonist of this chilly and unsatisfying novel blames herself for her mother's death. When she was eight, her mother said she was going out to celebrate her 30th birthday with friends. The little girl gets angry and says she wishes she will never see her again -- and of course the mother dies.
From this day on, the "heroine" is like an ice maiden, emotionally frozen. She makes a second wish -- that she should be struck by lightning -- and that also comes true. She joins a support group for other damaged victims of lightning strikes and hears of one survivor who died for 45 minutes and came back to life. So she seeks out this man whose flesh is so hot that merely touching it can cause second or third-degree burns. This man is so hot he can eat raw food and it gets cooked in his mouth. (Yes, he's a real hottie.) They make passionate love in a bath full of ice cubes. The man has a secret -- but when it's revealed it turns out to be pretty ho-hum.
I can't really go on with a description of the plot for to do so would be wasting my time, just as reading the book would be wasting yours.
This book has no characters and little plot. Various people flit in and out -- the heroine's brother, another burn victim, the librarian. None has any real character. The reader's guide at the end poses this question: "The narrator's two romantic interests, Lazarus and Jack, are different from each other. What does each of these men offer her?" In fact, they are completely alike in that neither has any character at all.
Hoffman apparently isn't interested in men. She doesn't bother describing them. She's not all that much interested in women either. She's interested in mood, in weather, in atmosphere, in words -- and she has talent. But this doesn't add up to a satisfying novel that tells us anything about her characters or the human condition in general.
I read Hoffman's "Seventh Heaven" and enjoyed it. It had a certain magical quality even though I thought it was seriously flawed. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book at all. It started out being depressing and ended up being boring.

The book came in perfect condition and in a very timely fashion. I was pleased.

First, the content -- Ibsen's play is as powerful and -- perhaps surprisingly -- as relevant as ever in today's supposedly more gender-equalized culture. Nora Helmer's predicament as a woman who faces the seemingly impossible choice between self-development and family is treated in a masterful way by Ibsen, who in the process manages to work in connections between bourgeois domestic culture, money, and spirituality.

But this edition is very functional -- no notes and a brief intro only. I have to say that I was a bit shocked because the new copy I ordered looked like it had been pulled out from the bottom of some old craters because it even had the faint impression of a sole on it!

A Doll's House is an outstanding play that brings up many topics into question, topics such as gender roles, love in marriage, and self fulfillment vs. family duties and responsibility. I think that Nora's and Torvald's characters are excellently drawn out to show the extremes of what could go wrong in a seemingly normal and happy home in 19th century Europe. Gender roles, even though they have changed drastically over the century, have roots from the beginning of time that stick throughout the years. Roots such as that women are more likely to stay at home and men are more likely to be the ones to work; even though these days women and men are legally and socially equal. Nora's actions in the play were courageous and good intentioned, even though they went against her husband's wishes. I really liked how she was created to be so naive that she did not realize that she had no life of her own, but despite that naivete, she still understood that something was missing. Torvald, on the other hand, knew perfectly well that Nora was not living life as people should, but out of his selfishness, he let things be as they were; he enjoyed life that way. What I liked most about this play was Nora's decision to live and to learn and be her own person, even though that meant huge sacrifice on her part and that of her family's. Was she selfish in doing what she did? That question is hard to answer. Should one live for themselves or is that right gone once they have children? Usually, I would say that a mother's duty to her children comes before anything, even her own needs; but what made Nora's situation so difficult was that she was a child herself, she never had the choice to live her life, once she had the chance it's good that she took advantage of it. The play was definetely worth the time spent reading it.

This was quite an entertaining play! Very nice - I like it! In all seriousness, it's a fascinating story that revolves around the ideas of gender roles and the negativity that is associated with creating such distinctions in society. `Tis a well constructed (translated) piece, despite originating in Norway.

The characters within speak frequently and frankly, constantly interacting with one another. The simplicity with which this play is written is used to convey a broad message about how society is harsh towards those who do not live up to their associated gender roles. For example, Krogstad is seen by the other characters as a scroungy rogue, minus the charm, associated with being a divorced father of two.

While it may not be the sort of drama that can draw a sleazy crowd with a brief tagline or an action packed trailer, it entices it audience with realistically portrayed characters in a convincing setting with an invigorating premise. Oh, and it speaks for universal human efficacy.

Ibsen's best known play about the strictures imposed on women by society. It may be from a hundred years ago, but the plight of Nora and her world is a cautionary tale about life now.

Nora is simple and yet there is a complexity about her. Her naiveté is both her charm and her undoing. Torvald, her husband, is prominent and she is to be showy--a living doll. Nora is to be a mirror that reflects her husband beautifully.

The plot concerns financial woes in the marriage--and secrets kept and broken--in these, the story is not unlike most stressful marriages.

We can speculate about what Nora could or should have done but the die is cast.

This play is good for helping younger readers understand that assumptions about roles in marriage are still there, and have to be understood and discussed in order to help a marriage thrive.

If you have a place where you can read this aloud, try it. Plays were meant to be spoken. The translation is superb.

This is a great story and a fun book to read. The sequal is even better.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ZOMBIE FANS!!! TWO THUMBS UP TO Z.A. Recht!

Enjoyable read in the usual dead bodies walking genre. The virus idea is quite good, and it is obviously set up for book 2 which no doubt i will buy. Jumps around a bit and a lot of characters but well worth the read if you enjoy this type of book

I loved this book and i can't wait to get the sequel which has just come out and ive ordered and now i'd like to shamelessly plug my own book at the expense of a small quotation on Amazon here in the united states seeing as im from the UK and you know what us Brits are like, we love to blow our own - Please be a good citizen, do wonders for our overseas relationship and buy Deathday by Eugene Bruce (23rd in the list if you type my name in) I love you America!

Check out Z. A. Recht for zombie lit. This book is great, and the second of the series is even better. Be prepaired to lose sleep over the Morningstar Saga. I just couldn't stop at bedtime.

I've just finished this first book in the Morningstar Strain saga, and I've got to say, it rocked my socks off.

Plague of the Dead is better by far than David Wellington's zombie trilogy and J.L. Bourne's Day by Day Armageddon combined.

The inclusion of both speed zombies (for lack of a better way to put it) is brilliantly handled, as is the detailing of the initial containment attempts.

I would recommend this to any enthusiast of zombie lit. To borrow from Stan Lee, excelsior!

This book follows the style of many of Tracy Kidder's works, and uses a specific person to help form the supporting structure of the book, which allows the reader to become involved in the text as they would in a novel. Home Town follows the career of a police officer in the small Massachusetts town of Northampton. O'Connor grew up in the town, and now serves the community by helping reduce drug trafficking and other crimes. Each of the people that intersect Tommy O'Connor's life is explored in some detail during the book: Alan, who becomes trapped by his obsessive need to stay clean; Laura, an Ada Comstock Scholar at Smith College who managed to make it even though many would prefer she be kept down; Rick, an old childhood friend & police officer who goes through divorce and jail time for child molestation, and the various drug informants. Mr. Kidder's writing allows you to join each of the characters as they follow a path through life in Northampton. It is highly recommended, as are other works by this author.

Northampton has been transformed within my lifetime. As a high schooler, looking for a college, the town was so sleepy it appeared to me as a "has-been" sort of place. I went to Boston instead. That was 30 years ago! Now I am lucky enough to live within a half hour of N'hampton and I love to visit there on a weekly basis. It is the center of culture and art for this area. Yes, it has problems, like all cities do. Thank you to Tracy Kidder for describing this special place so well and with such care. I only wish that I had read it sooner. He gives us a sense of the rich local history without dwelling on the past. He is truly acomplished in his non-fiction style, and I am inspired by this work! I recommend this to all locals and anyone who wants to be filled with hope.

I kept waiting for something to happen. The book contains a few good descriptions but overall is quite tedious. May be interesting if one knows Northampton and can relate to the vignettes. Dull.

I had high expectations for this book. However, I found myself skipping pages and feeling very disappointed. Kidder did not engage me at all, his writing was prosaic in the worse sense, and the pace of the book was plodding. Read "The Shipping News", "The Kite Runner", "Three Junes", "The Complete Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor". While I realize that these books are fiction and Kidder's book is non-fiction, I still felt that I was reading a bad "Dragnet" script.

I really loved this book. It is introversion and extroversion at its height. The comparison of people in just this one town is incredible, but even more so the fact that the reader walks away wanting to know what happened to each and every character. I literally was going to take a road trip to Northampton to meet some of the main characters of this novel, but I didn't want to creep them out. At points the story line is a little slow, but usually this is because Kidder is focusing on one character and the reader just wants to know what is happening with his or her favorite character. I would recommend this book to anyone that has ever visited, lived, or wants to live in a town in New England.

The storyline was complex and well written. The characters stories perfectly dovetailed with each others. Thank you Alice Hoffman!

I think I've read everything Alice Hoffman has ever written. In The Third Angel, Ms. Hoffman takes you places you wish you were or want to be. There's always a touch of the mystical. Something magical. She didn't let me down with Third Angel. I couldn't put it down. With a child at home, it's hard to find time to read. I found time for this book. I cried. And wished it hadn't ended. A nice summer read. Enjoy!

As always, Alice Hoffman once again shows her self to be a sensitive and interesting writer. She allows us to appreciate the spiritual side of life and love. Excellent book!

This book was so great! I felt like I was actually inside the book, living right along next to the characters, it was that profound. I loved the going back in time, you really get the answers to all the questions you've been wondering about. Hoffman is truly a unique writer and her books are magical and lyrical. I think I'll sit down tonight and read all her other books that I haven't read yet!

I was so happy to come across this new book of Alice Hoffman's at my local library. I have read all her books and wasn't aware she had a new one out. This may be the best one yet!!

It is the story of love and loss. Tragedy, choices and consequences. It begins in 1999, the next story is 1966 and then finally 1952. All the women in this story somehow interweave into each others lives from future back to the past.

I can only say you will begin to read and immerse yourself in the world of Alice Hoffman and her wonderful writing style and won't put this book down until you have read the last word. She can write about the dark, troubling nuances of a person with such conviction and we see a lot of redemption and faith come trough as well.

I loved this book and am thankful for this author.

When reviewing zombie novels of course I am going to compare them to each other, and so after I read this I stacked it up against the David Wellington "Monster" trilogy, and Brian Keene's two part "The Rising" and "City of the Dead". I do not believe that "Twilight of the Dead" is on this level, but is certainly not a bad book. The pros of this story are the main character, the semi-fresh perspective on how humanity deals with the post-zombie apocalypse. Of course the military are a bunch of jerks, of course no one believes in the severity. However, the black beret concept was intriguing as well as the twist on the antagonist. Overall the major issue was Adkins description of the events that unfold. It doesn't hold a candle to Wellington or Keene and that is what makes their books highly readable and keep me coming back for more. I see great potential in Travis Adkins, and I hope for a sequel b/c in my mind it has the potential.

Okay, here are your survivors, locked up in a gated resort community. Okay, its a Z-book, I'll go with that, they've all got to start somewhere.

Wetsuit-clad, Wakazashi wielding, .22 sniper Zombie SpecOps teens/post teens? Okay, that's different, but I'll be honest, it was fun to read where the author was going with it.

Nifty little drawings and diagrams about how to fight a Z hand-to-hand. You have to love that part.

I was not expecting much from this, but picked it up anyway from the Amazon 'others who have purchased' list. At the end of the read, I was pleased to have purchased this book. The author took a stock 'end of the world' Z-book and added some twists (see wetsuits, supra) to the story, and throws in a mad scientist for fun. The main character actually has enough depth that you can't see light through her, and the story was interesting if very, very short. I'd certainly pick up another if the author decided on a sequel.

As with my reviews of the other Z-books, the 4 stars is in relation to the genre, not literature as a whole. Its a zombie thing. ;)

Twilight of the Dead takes five years after the initial outbreak of the zombie plague, and it is told through the view of a young woman named Courtney. Courtney is a sad person who is depressed at the loss of her father and the fact that her life has been ruined by the dead corpses that have now taken over the world, and this is what makes Courtney such an interesting character. Unlike the big, bad guy heros of the zombie genre, Courtney is the center point of Twilight of the Dead , and this helps make the novel different from any ordinary novel. The plot is interesting, the way he tells the story is unique, and the design of the book (which he did by himself!) is especially interesting and makes the interior of the book aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

The novel begins with Courtney reminiscing about her past life before the zombie plague, right after one of her fellow Black Berets, Leon, talks to her and says that she needs to come out of the shell that she is and be an actual missing. It then follows with a flashback of what happened with Courtney before and while the plague is happening, and how she is trained by a Black Beret operative to be what she truly is.

The novel gets even more interesting when a strange scientist called Dr. Dane appears at the fortress town of Eastpoint, where he claims that he has found a cure to the plague that has been threatening humanity for years. He tells Courtney and Eastpoint's council that he spent several years working for a cure, and now that he has one, he wants the Black Berets to go retrieve it.

This is where the story kicks into high action, with zombies, great plot twists, and new things that have been cleverly introduced to the genre.

This second edition of Twilight of the Dead offers a bonus of three short stories targeting specific characters that help to build on to the world about what happened before the original storyline, and it is a great boost to the novel.

Twilight of the Dead is a novel that any zombie fan should pick up. Never again will you think of a zombie novel as, Over the river and through the woods. Adkins offers too much to the genre to make it seem like an ordinary zombie novel.

In a nutshell my review of Twilight of the Dead by Travis Adkins goes like this: Twilight of the Dead by Travis Adkins is yet another book in the Permuted Press family that adheres faithfully to what has to be the company's mandate: good ideas told badly.

Because that is what Mr. Adkins does. And he does it very, very well.

The basic premise of this book is not all that unique. The Dead rise and Society crumbles before their relentless onslaught. The main character must somehow survive the horrifying horror of the End of the World and then, along with a disparate group of survivors, learn to their even greater horror that the true monster isn't just the rotting ghouls scratching away outside their walls, but the living, breathing people they're trapped inside with.

See? Nothing unusual or groundbreaking there, but then, it doesn't have to be, right? That description is exactly what gets us all excited, it's the story we want, the one we've been looking for and the reason we are all willing to slog through all of the sub-par "literature" found within this genre. And that nugget is what Mr. Adkins starts out with. Then he takes it up a notch and throws in one of the most loved protagonists in the sci-fi/comic-book/horror set: The snarky rocker chick. After that he adds in some ruin looting, a walled haven and a team of specially trained zombie fighters and what does that mean to you and me?

It means we got ourselves a possible slice of fried awesome, that's what.

But then Mr. Adkins fumbles, he stumbles, he trips and then he falls. In a word: he fails. In two words: He fails miserably.

To begin with, the time line makes no sense. 5 years ago the town filled up with all the supplies they were ever going to need so they just stopped going out? 5 years ago? So... they've just been hanging out then? Doing what? Partying? The noise from their many BBQs and Badminton matches didn't ever bring an army of the Dead down upon their heads? 5 years now, this magical cornucopia mall they have within this gated community has just been pumping out a never ending cascade of food and supplies while the people dance and sing and laugh, tra-la-la-la and go back to normal lives? 6 months, okay, maybe they might hunker down for six months, but 5 years? The World ends, Society is destroyed and then a bunch of spoiled First-World-living-the-leisurely-high-tech-lifestyle Americans build and are able to reasonably maintain the first ever completely contained and self-sustaining community WITH a coin based economy? Based on what? Gold? Air? What about medicine or chemicals for mixing gunpowder or more planting seeds or a million and a half other things? Five years? ugh... forget it... moving on...

Secondly, Courtney, the intended snarky, independently awesome and capable rocker chick, is instead consistently portrayed as naïve, stupid and ridiculously stubborn. She's a complete cartoon, so much so, you wonder if Mr. Adkins has ever actually MET a girl like this before. Once again... for 5 years she's lived here, not having to work due to her service as a scavenger, 5 years she's been in this town and all she's done is watch movies and read books and sneer at anyone who tries to talk to her? For five years? Once again... maybe for a month or two, but after five years wouldn't she be forced to grow up or maybe mature a little bit, if not from simple aging then from the nature of the world itself? And if you're willing to buy that, the fact that she hasn't just makes her all the more unlikeable. Also, wouldn't the townspeople grow concerned over this highly trained killer hermit with a bad attitude holed up all by herself at the far end of their town?

And the Gossip Girl/One Tree Hill type high school drama is so pervasive, so false and so completely without any emotional motivation to back it up, that it just becomes tedious and way, way too quickly at that, especially when you consider just how short a novel this is. None of the human interaction rings true, with the possible exception of Courtney leaving her Father in the very beginning, but other than that...

I mean, I understand what he's trying to do, because, as we all know, the real meat of a zombie story is the survivors and the emotional yoke they toil under, but you have to be able to make your characters and their inner turmoils real or the story just sinks hard and fast and unfortunately, Mr. Adkins can not make them real.

And then there's the oh-so-transparent Jock hate, (nerd...) but wait... apparently the Jock is actually one of the rare, kind of alright rich kid jocks (Just like She's All That... but reversed! With zombies!) And the Black Berets themselves? Their outfits are ludicrous. They're laughable. Coupled with the ninja swords, they just reminded me of my friend's home made "Surf Ninja" Halloween costume. It was silly, people, silly. Lets not even get into the uncomfortable, overt naïveté that rides shotgun with the mishandled and uneven sex scenes that go on between Courtney and her mentor, Sgt. Soontobedead.

Oh yeah, the zombies... forgot about those... How is that possible you ask? Oh, well, that's because they're kind of not really ever mentioned or that much of a threat to begin with, except of course when clichéd Mad-scientist-killer-type-guy inexplicably sends an army of them to attack the town. That's no big deal right? Eastpointe has high walls, right? Oh yeah? Well these zombies have on metal helmets (they're indestructible!) and knives tied to their hands (they're Wolverine!). Will Courtney and Leon (the Jock) stop the evil Lex Luthor's army of radio controlled zombies in time? Will the cure (cure for what? Being eaten?) miraculously save one of the main characters if they get bitten during the story's climax or is that too telegraphed and clichéd? And if so, why not just go all out and embrace the clichés and stage an end fight scene at that infamous Hollywood-action-movie-staple: the fire and steam factory?

I apologize, at this point I'm being too rough on Mr. Adkins, he does deserve kudos for even finishing a novel in the first place and then putting it out there to be snarked at by jerks like me. To be fair, I actually enjoyed the beginning of the story, especially the attack on the convoy and many other sporadic moments through out, which really only highlights the true problem with this book for me. Mr. Adkins has ability within him, he has ideas. He's not awful, he's not without hope. And while they may not be well executed, his stories are well grounded, thought out and, in the end, fun. He's got potential. Honestly, its not his story that fails here, its his details. So, yet again, the Permuted Press editorial staff, such as it is, has completely failed their authors and done them a huge disservice with their ridiculously poorly performed job. Right now Mr. Adkins is just another example of the only thing small internet presses have proven to me so far: Sometimes people don't get published for a reason.

Mr. Adkins' reason is because he is not yet ready. This story needs a lot of work, attention, critique and second and third drafts, TRUE second and third drafts.

My recommendation: Not yet. Almost, but not yet. Our quest for a great zombie book continues, dear readers, so slog on, because there's nothing to see here.

This book was brought to my attention on a website that I help manage and being a huge zombie fan I decided to check it out. Man was I disappointed. I was hoping for some action right off the bat but instead I felt like I was reading a crappy teen magazine. I read the first few chapters and decided to put the book down and go read I Am Legend again. Some people told me that it will get better but I have yet to see where it gets better. I love it when an author gets into a character development but sometimes they can go overboard with it. I can care less about her sexual issues and teen angst. I want battles between hordes of flesh eating ghouls and close battles, NOT "Oh I screwed you once and blah blah blah." Needless to say, if you into the zombie genre then read Down the Road or Day by Day. Those are classics in the making.

Where the blood and guts go flying, and the Men goes trying. Aliens truly meeting their gods in all so many colorful messy ways! Ringo nails it every time.

As good as it gets? Not quite, but this second volume in John Ringo's "Looking Glass" series is awfully close.

First, the science is actually present in a (gasp!) science fiction novel! Get ready for an awesome dose of particle physics in this book. The quantum universe is also present in large doses, too.

Second, be prepared to laugh and giggle your way through the military forms of humor, and figure out what some of the alien words mean. This book, I'm sure, is meant to a spoof of some of the hard(er)-core military SF.

Finally, there is certainly an adequate plot to follow, along with a sufficient amount of bloody mayhem, to satisfy almost any John Ringo Military SF fan.

I stayed up 'till 2:30 in the morning finishing this book. That's my sure stamp of approval. I give it 5 stars. Read. Enjoy. Laugh. Fun!

I am only half way through this book, but am ready to close it for good and pack it in. I have no interest in the minute details of space ship operations, physics, etc., but that is about all the authors write. Very little real action and story line is, so far, boring. I grew up on Amazing magazine, etc., Robert Heinlein, Isaac Izamov and other great writers. Usually I very much books by John Ringo, but this is not one of them. so, out it goes to the local public library and into the hands of someone who will read it with great enjoyment. I just kept turning pages and pages, and when I stopped turning, still, the story line had not progressed and characters still rattling on propounding their various physics positions.

First, I'm a fan of Mil-SF and SF in general - over 5,000 books read. This book is "hard Sci-Fi", akin to some of Clarks writings. So, frankly, it is s l o w in many spots. At the end of the book, Ringo preaches that "the first half of Science Fiction is Science." His extrapolation is that a Science Fiction book should teach and lecture science. Thankfully, only a small percentage of SF writers believe in this - and they usually stick the lecture in a wrap-up chapter. I'd say about 30% of the book involved space marines discussing particle physics, theory and higher math. You can literally skim/gloss over a good chunk of the book. I wish there would have been more action, and less setup for the next book (cryptic "heat bad, cold good" junk tossed in at random spots) - and honestly, a lot less hard science. Put that in the end of the book.

The action is first rate, the deep space exploration interesting, and the shake-down deep space trip of the Vorpal is darn good. The humor (similar to "Fallen Angels") and SF inside references and jokes make for some fun reading. Space Marines call themselves "Red Shirts" - you'll find caveats to Raiders, FireFly (the absolute worst SF series of all time) and many others. As with the first book, the title of the book is a nod to Lewis Carroll. This time, Jabberwocky, where the Vorpal Sword is a weapon.

The main character this time around is "Two Gun" - the dual gun totin' space marine (he's on the cover) - my guess is he'll be back in the next novel. Weaver and Miller are back, as are Mimi and Tuffy. But Two Gun gets more ink then all four combined.

Vorpal Blade is not everyone's type of SF. If you eat up MIL-SF (Like David Drake's or David Weber's) or hard SF (Arthur C. Clarke, some Larry Niven, Vernor Vinge) you'll dig this book. If you like space opera, future-SF or speculative SF, this will still do it for you. If you're into CyberPunk, Science Fantasy, New Wave, Post-Futurism, soft SF, etc. - this is not your type of read - You'll put it down half way through. Yes, the exploration aspects are engrossing. The "chilling" speculation is cool. Pun intended. It's obvious the authors know the military life, and again, there is a lot if insight and humor here.

One thing that really got me though: The author concludes that all future Space Marines need to be Physics experts so they can do their job. This is probably one of the most idiotic conclusions I have ever read. That's akin to a flight controller having to manually calculate vector, speed, etc. - for every aircraft in his zone - manually. This is why there are COMPUTERS. A flight controller looks at this thing called RADAR. It does the calculations for you. The suits the Space Marines are using are supposedly some of the most advanced systems anywhere. Yet the onboard computers can't do the basic calculations? They require the user to do it? No way, no how. Run, shoot, "is that a mason - no wait, meson, er Boolean - or was that quark? How do you spell those again? Doesn't one work with bricks and mortar? Or was he on a Star Trek series?" Bang. You're dead.

This is why pilots have a head's up display. This is why they get missile warnings. Radar warnings. Not "object X is approaching at speed Y at vector of Z. You are currently at an altitude of.....BOOM" Totally ridiculous. Yet we are supposed to buy the "fact" that the Space Marines have to do this?!

I live in Tornado Alley. Am I expected to look at the barometer, temperature, pressure zones, wind direction, etc? No. I rely on a COMPUTER. It sets of a weather alarm and those really loud sirens. I would think that this really advanced suit could simply flash an icon and location "Mirror forming" or "bad guy with many sharp arms appearing!" If I had to do all the stuff manually I would hit the correct conclusion about the same time my house is vacuumed into the clouds, shredded, then dropped in several thousand pieces across the countryside.

I'll give it five stars. Just because hard SF is not for everyone, it's no reason to diss the book. I already ordered the next book and pre-ordered the one after that.

Although the science was a bit deep compared to many of the genre, I really enjoy Ringo and feel he is setting up a great series here.