The Story Eaters of Yamm by Kevin Hincker REVIEW

Summary:

An irreverent, suspenseful, profoundly original novel about a group of science fiction writers hired to gameplan an alien invasion, led by Larry Palczewski - a struggling writer who can't perceive time.

What starts for Larry as desperately needed source of free lunches turns sinister and inconvenient when the alien snails the group is fictionalizing actually do begin invading - by taking over humanity's novels. After that, it is up to Larry, unlikeliest of protagonists, to author a new ending before humankind is eaten by the ultimate bad story - his own.

My Thoughts:

This was a very odd and original story. Larry is unable to tell time and is on his 27th rewrite of his novel when he goes to a job interview. The job? Creating a story with other writers and putting it together with the help of an AI. He is deeply suspicious of these people and the AI, trying to quit at every inconvenience but ends up staying. Then the aliens start invading - and Larry finds out that the story they are writing is actually the truth, and humanity needs his help to be protected from the invasion.

Larry is a very insufferable character. He is rude to everyone, is always late, and doesn't seem to care about anyone other than himself. I deeply sympathize with Tanya, the woman who hired him and the other writers, for having to deal with him on a daily basis. That being said, he is occasionally funny, and he does grow to care about his fellow writers. The book was written in a confusing way, with the chapter numbers out of order and sometimes repeated, as well as sentences not always being finished at the end of the chapters. It did take me quite a bit before I started liking the story and the characters. Most of the characters were underdeveloped, and the invasion portion seemed rushed compared to the pacing of the rest of the novel.

My Rating: 2 stars

Cash and Gravity by Perrin Pring REVIEW

Summary:

Chevy Cole left her conservative family behind to work for Launch Tech, one of the six mega corporations that has supplanted the American government and constantly competes for resources, market position, and the ultimate long-game prize of colonizing the stars. Chevy is proud of her role as first-into-the-fire grunt marine, even if she is well below the revered female super soldiers known as Aces.

After the catastrophic failed siege of a Nevada mine leaves most of her comrades dead, Chevy encounters an injured Ace in possession of a mysterious package, a long-sought-after fusion device that would change the world. A surprise, this Ace is a man. Joined by an off-the-grid "phantom" sent by Launch Tech to transport the device to a safehouse, the three must form an uneasy alliance as they try to outrun a rival corporation's ruthless agents. Whoever controls the device, controls the future, and when greed is the only rule of law, who can be trusted?

My Thoughts:

This was such a fun read! Chevy is a space marine who gets sent on a mission to siege a Nevada mine, and there are whispers that they are going in order to take control of a fusion device. When a crash leaves Chevy injured and her comrades mostly dead, she stumbles upon a male Ace holding onto the device. With the help of Dolon, the three race to get to the safehouse and dodge other agents who want to get their hands on the device.

The story was written in a way for those of us who aren't well-versed in science to understand, which is great. I loved Chevy - she's a fearless marine who came from an unlikely upbringing with a passion for her work. Dolon is also a great character - a widower who stays off the grid and is tasked by Launch Tech to make sure the device gets to the safehouse. The Ace, however, was not very well developed to make me care about him, and I wish we got to learn more about the Aces and what makes them so special. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope for a sequel.

My Rating: 4 stars