Geek Culture Reviews

It’s been quite the eventful year since my challenge of reading the entirety of the Horus Heresy saga began. While I’m still yet to be fully up to date with the galaxy-spanning story of rebellion, I have finally reached The Siege of Terra part of the story.  Now Horus and his band of renegades have found their way to Terra, I thought it was time that I gave yet another review that started way back when with Horus Rising. So come with me as I dive into The Horus Heresy: The Siege of Terra - The Solar War.  I jumped straight into this one fresh from the pages of the previous book; The Buried Dagger which took a look into Mortarion’s fall from grace and into the arms of the Chaos God Nurgle. While the overall plot was not too bad, as a Death Guard player I felt somewhat betrayed by writer James Swallow. While Swallow dealt with Typhus’ betrayal of Mortarion, to Mortarion’s damnation of the Death Guard to Nurgle quite well, I felt it could have been fleshed out a lot more. Instead...

The seeds of heresy are sown… Horus Rising was my first foray into the novels that depicted the wider Warhammer 40K universe. While what would be later known as the Horus Heresy is a well known plot point that drives the 40K table-top narrative, aside from a brief overview we’ve never fully explored the galaxy-wide civil war that fractured the might of the Imperial regime.  Quite often talk of Horus’ betrayal was often left over to the related Codexes, or in my experience the 2nd edition rule book. Here, Games Workshop would set the scene with talk of how Horus - the Emperor’s most favourite son - turned against his father and instigated a civil war which saw nearly half of his fellow Adeptus Astartes legions follow suit and turn traitor with him. With the Horus Heresy novels, we’re now get the nitty gritty of this betrayal. It’s also a betrayal that’s spread across in excess of 60 books.  Horus Rising is the opening chapter within this vast collection and it’s writer Dan Abne...

Everyone has secrets but some aren’t as big as Lauren and Jay’s… The Perfect Girlfriend is the debut psychological thriller from Hayley Smith  who takes us on a rollercoaster ride of secrets from two people who meet at a music festival. Could this be a sleeper hit of the Summer? Come with me as I find out. Smith focuses her narrative on the relationship of two characters; Lauren and Jay. We first meet the duo as they both separately attend a music festival, to then cross paths as their motivations and lives entwine. As their relationship develops  Lauren moves into Jay's dilapidated house which also happens to be in the middle of nowhere. With Jay often out performing errands, and Lauren far from home, and cut off from the wider world due to a poor phone reception, she spends most of her time and energy in bringing a bit of colour to her new home.  As the narrative develops we get great insight into the minds of these two characters. We learn that Jay is quite protective...

Ellie reviews The Honeymoon… A honeymoon in Bali soon turns deadly as Kate Gray turns what should be one of the happiest times of your life turns into a rollercoaster of secrets and cover ups. Erin and Jamie are a newly married couple enjoying their honeymoon. It isn’t long until Erin meets Sophia, who is also on her own honeymoon, along with her husband Mark. Both Erin and Sophia get chatting around the pool while Jamie is sleeping and Mark is at a market. As both couples are on the last day of their honeymoon, Erin asks if Sophia and Mark would like to join herself and Jamie for a meal at the popular restaurant, the Blue Fin. Without a second thought for Jamie’s plans, Sophia calls ahead and adds the two to their reservation. The meal starts off pleasantly, but then Erin accidently spills a drink on to one of the of the other diners causing some tension which ends with Sofia and Mark leaving the restaurant. Embarrassed by the ordeal Erin and Jamie also leave however they don’t go st...

Rob reviews When The Sparrow Falls... When The Sparrow Falls is a journey into a sci-fi dystopian future by writer Neil Sharpson. With echoes of Blade Runner , When The Sparrow Falls is a tight sci-fi thriller that will keep you guessing right until its conclusion. The novel follows Agent Nikolai South as he transports Lily, the widow of a deceased journalist through the Caspian Republic to identify their late spouse's body. This is easier said than done as the Republic touts itself as the last haven for humanity within a world governed by Artificial Intelligence. As South struggles with his duties and keeping himself and his escort alive, ghosts from his past not only come back to haunt the Agent - they also threaten the fragile peace between the Caspian Republic and the wider world. I enjoyed  When The Sparrow Falls. Neil Sharpson throws us straight in at the deep end with a politically motivated killing that echoes events seen within our world. It's an incredibl...

Ellie reads The Liar of Red Valley... When I saw there was an opportunity to read an advanced review copy of The Liar Of Red Valley I jumped the chance and it doesn’t disappoint.  The Liar Of Red Valley is a horror fantasy with the main character, a female takes the lead. Walter Goodwater takes us to Red Valley an eerie town in California. Sadie is a 'normal' woman who is thrown into a world she has no idea about and is far different to her own. One minute Sadie is a waitress the next she is The Liar and keeper of secrets. All of a sudden Sadie has to work out what she has to do, what the King wants from her, and why the Sheriff is after her. Sadie is out to find these answer and find her Mums ledger of lies all while dealing with the grief and loneliness of loosing someone close.   Through the novel, we come across an array of interesting characters. The one's that stand out most for me are the Laughing Boys and their Demons. The best way I can describe th...