Spring Reading 2019 Bulwark Anthology

       

  

Last spring I read Bulwark, which introduced readers to a small town in Georgia plagued by supernatural problems. Since then, the author has not only revisited the town, but opened it up to others as the setting for an anthology of stories.

In The Knowing, two high school kids from opposite backgrounds feel an instant connection - a knowing- that they are meant to be together. Everyone else doesn't see it that way. Ellie's big brother orders JB to stay away. JB's father disapproves of Ellie's wealthy family, and her folks aren't thrilled that she wants to date a poor farmer's son. It seems like a typical story of star-crossed teenage lovers, except for the intense dreams of a shared past that they both experience. Do those dreams and the odd sense that tells them when the other is near prove that they belong with each other? Most of the action in this story takes place over 50 years before the events of Bulwark, showing that strange things have been happening in that small town for a very long time.

The Darkness also features teens, but these are present-day kids. A star athlete, a reporter for the school newspaper, and their two best friends are pulled into a mystery that stretches back to the founding of the town. When football player Chris asks Sophia for help, she agrees because he is really cute and she is really curious. It seems that some of their classmates have been disappearing - and Chris hears the voice of one of them coming from inside his locker. With some research and a visit to Sophia's grandmother, they learn that the high school was built on the site of an ancient Indian burial ground (shades of the movie "Poltergeist"). Can the friends figure out how to stop the disappearances and perhaps even rescue the classmate who is calling for help?

By opening the world of the original book up to other authors, the scope of paranormal activities and number of characters that are involved are greatly expanded. There is a wide variety of personalities and situations within the anthology to appeal to a range of readers.

I received copies of the books from the publisher for review purposes.

Winter Reading 2019 Cyber Attack

The thing that makes Washburn's tale of terrorists hacking into multiple systems and wreaking havoc across the United States is the realism of so many details. The terrorists are out for revenge because of wrongs they feel they have suffered at the hands of the U.S. within their home countries. The methods they use have taken several years to develop with several people working on them. And the results described could actually happen under the right circumstances.

But it is not just the "bad guys" and their effects that are realistic. Washburn takes the time to describe the various victims caught up in the disasters and makes them believable. He doesn't just mention a couple of old friends on vacation happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Readers learn the names, occupations, how long they have been friends and have been planning this trip, etc. Each of the characters comes complete with a backstory that rounds out each situation and makes it believable.

The protagonists of the story are FBI agents Hank Goodnight and Paige Randall. They are assigned to work together for the first time in response to the first incident. Even as they head out to investigate the damage spreads and they have to work around power outages, grounded air traffic and other issues just to reach the locations and resources they need to do the job. 

I won this book in a giveaway and read it in a single afternoon. Once I started, the story pulled me along and I had to see how it would end. I would recommend it for those who enjoy thrillers where investigation and action are mixed with increasingly high stakes. This is for mature YA and adult readers - some of the scenes include graphic details of violence.