The Uncanny Valley - Book Review

The Uncanny Valley
Tales from a Lost Town
by Gregory Miller
137 pages

I really didn't know what to expect with this book.  It arrived in my mailbox this morning.  I tore open the brown-padded envelope and looked at the cover.  The artwork was whimsical, and I found myself looking at it long time, imagining what the little characters might reveal of the tale inside.  In a way, the cover is like a "Where's Waldo" painting.  You just have to look at everything.

So, I opened the book, at a red light, on my drive to work.  No kidding.  I began reading with the Prologue.

In June 2009, WRDB, a Central-Pennsylvania NPR affiliate, launched a narrative project as part of a "small-town cultural preservation campaign," asking listeners to address, in 2000 or fewer words, the following prompt:  Describe a specific event - historical, ritualistic, or personal - that typifies the culture of your hometown.

Well, as a writer, that hooked me right there.  The traffic light turned green and I had to put the book down, but I believed this was a real contest that had transpired, and that the book was a compilation of those stories sent in to the radio station.

When I got to work and started reading, I intended to only read one or two of the stories.  But I absolutely could not put the book down.  Thankfully my job allows me to do this... read, I mean.  I must confess I DID have to put it down a couple times to help users with computer problems, but I hurried right back to my desk and kept turning the pages.  The magic that unfolded held me spell bound.  I realized the prologue was not real, but part of the unfolding events of Uncanny, Pennsylvania.

I'll tell you right now, if asked, my favorite book of all time is -- Robert McCammon's BOY'S LIFE.  And now I have a 2nd favorite book of all time.  THE UNCANNY VALLEY is on par with McCammon's book. The author, Gregory Miller, wrote such believable characters, scenes, situations and stories that I honestly believed Uncanny Pennsylvania existed.  His stories raised the chill bumps on my arms and took me right back to my own childhood adventures and the stories we passed around as kids then.  Mr. Miller did a beautiful job of suspending reality for the duration of  book and for that I thank him! 

Could I pick a favorite story from his tales? It would be difficult as just thinking about it brings up several.  "Richard Shute Goes Home for Dinner" had the most poignant ending.  And "The Great Unknown" is another that will stick with me.  The imagery of blue bottles floating in the pool in the woods, each containing a piece of paper with a wish written in blood, is something  I will never forget.  Wonderful.

The Uncanny Valley is a magical read.  Mr. Miller's words evoked all kinds of emotion from me: goose bumps, laughter, sadness, shock, wonder.  I'd like to say this collection of stories would make excellent bedtime reading, but the fact is, you can't stop with one story.  You'll be up all night long finishing the book.

Two thumbs way up on this one.  I loved it.

Linda Freed
www.lafingdog.com 

Blood Divided Book Trailer

Finally got the trailer done for BLOOD DIVIDED.  Posting here and on facebook.

Let me know what you think of it.  Thanks.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v​=-8aipRScKgY

 

Book Review - Hilda Hopkins, Murder, She Knit by Vivienne Fagan

Hilda Hopkins, Murder, She Knit

By Vivienne Fagan

54 pages, appx. 20,000 words

available on smashwords.com

I knew when I read the title that I'd like this book, if the author could write.  And I'm glad to report that Ms. Fagan can indeed spin a good yarn. 

Hilda Hopkins is a wonderfully eccentric character.  She's a dowdy old woman and she knows it.  She's often ignored, and feeling slighted she creates this persona in her own mind that she is simply better than everyone else: smarter, more clever, resourceful.  When she rents her spare room to a gentleman border and he dies of natural causes in his bed, she sees it as an opportunity.  She rifles through his wallet, finds his pin numbers to his credit cards and instantly has extra cash flow.

She buries her border in her coal shed and soon after rents the room to another elderly man.  When he doesn't die according to her timetable, she knits a garroute and slips him some Valerian to knock him out. Then she throttles the life out of him and drags his corpse out to be buried.  She continues on her murder spree, killing six gentlemen and after each death she knits their effigy and places these about her house.

But she is discovered.  The police question her, in her home, as they search and find clues to the missing men.  Meanwhile, Hilda slips into the bathroom and out the window.

What happens next is a run from the police, and she's very successful at it.  But her passion for knitting is her downfall, literally, as her crime spree unravels.

This short novel was an exceptionally fun read.  Ms. Fagan creates characters that are quirky and memorable.  The book probably is not for everyone, but if you like a quick mystery this is definitely worth your time. 

Linda Freed

www.lafindog.com

Book Review - Vampires of The Sky by Michael L. Preble

Book Review

Vampires of the Sky

Michael L. Preble

Short Story

Appx. 7600 words

available at www.smashwords.com

It is the summer of 1940. William is a fighter pilot with the Royal Air Force. Sofia is a girl meets in a pub shortly before he is to go back off to war. The time they have together is necessarily brief, but perhaps their love is the flame that will see them through the darkness to come.

Several things drew me to this story.  First and foremost, I like historical stories and especially those from WWII.

I'm happy to say that this story did not disappoint.

William Suffolk is a fighter pilot with the RAF.  He meets young Sophia Crawford at a pub and not-unexpectedly they fall for each other. With Germany advancing on England, the young couple abandon themselves to the moment, because in war a moment may be all that they have.

Although I liked the sweet love story between the characters, I really enjoyed the air battle sequences.  The author put me right in the sky, inside William's spitfire.  I felt the stick in my hand and held my breath as the incoming German fighters opened fire.  The author was not only able to put me in the scene, he also got me inside the character's head so I experienced the emotions of the battle - elation, fear, panic.

My stomach churned and I was white-knuckling the stick with William as he tried to maintain control of his stricken airplane.  I couldn't turn the page fast enough as his plane plowed into the English's countryside.

I won't give away the ending.  But I will say that for his first published story, Michael L. Preble has done a nice job.  There were a few places that could have been cleaned up with some editing and I feel he could've started the story with the couple meeting (instead of Sophia's ocean voyage to England). But all in all this was money and time well spent.

~LAFreed 

Book Reviews

This is the Book Review Blog for Lafingdog.com website.  We plan on review books at random and books that are submitted for review.  If you are an author with a new book, and want to have it reviewed, please visit the website to learn how to submit it for our reviewers. www.lafingdog.com

Each month we will pick our favorites from the books we've reviewed and present our prestigious PAW awards to the winners. To be eligible for a PAW award you must be the Publisher And Writer of your book.  We will maintain a list of PAW winners on our website.  Readers can  be assured that books we award the PAW to are of the highest quality and well worth the read.