So here's my take on #zombie: I loved the concept for this story. A zombie invasion that began because a computer hacker unleashed a subroutine through every available avenue on the Internet? BRILLIANT. As someone who uses social media on a daily basis (who doesn't these days?), it was a chilling thought that by clicking on what first appears as an innocuous link on Twitter I could become a mindless destroyer of humanity. However, it didn't hold my attention as I had hoped it would. Line has a tendency to drift and focus on minutiae that has no bearing on the tale. Re-telling of information previously stated is also another issue. Also, I didn't really feel connected to the protagonist, Ven. I didn't especially care if she made it through the apocalypse or not. Your main character needs to at least be somewhat relatable/likeable (at least I think so) to keep the interest of the reader. If I hadn't felt obligated to review I probably would have given up despite the fascination of the story's concept. In conclusion: great concept and some really great wit but could stand a bit of tightening up on storyline and characterization.

Next up is Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (yay signed copy!). This is the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which if you'll remember I reviewed this back in August. SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST IN THIS SERIES. The story continues the journey of the main character Jacob and his peculiar friends as they try to escape from the wights and hollowgast who are after Miss Peregrine (who is stuck in bird form). The children are stuck in Jacob's past which means it's WWII making things even more complicated and dangerous. There only hope is to find another loop and an ymbryne (like Miss Peregrine) who can protect them and get Miss Peregrine back to human form. I'm only on Chapter 2 and I'm riveted. This guy is seriously a talented writer. I can't wait to see what kind of a journey this book takes me on.

Update: I never received That Hideous Strength. I'm trying to find a copy of it now. :-(

The Rubber Band follows a young woman on a quest to solve a mystery and fulfill a promise owed to her father (recently deceased). Of course, nothing is every simple in a Nero Wolfe mystery so from the beginning there is murder, intrigue, and suspicion on all sides. Wolfe (and Archie!) are at their best in this novel and the story culminates in a shocking ending that left me with my mouth agape in wonderment.

The Red Box started out in the style of a whodunit except where the suspects were numerous but the motive was unknown. As the story progresses, the mystery mounts around a core group of people (a family in fact) and Wolfe is forced to switch clients (unheard of for him) as the cast of characters is whittled down by murder. You can feel the mounting frustration with each turn of the page as Archie is left out of the loop (nothing new there really) and the lack of evidence takes a toll on the master detective.

Honestly, if you enjoy a riveting mystery novel then either (or both) will sate your appetite.

As you know, I occasionally do early review work for publishers and authors. My next title, #zombie, falls under that heading. Written by Al K. Line, the story follows two hackers, an infant, and an overweight dog as they navigate a new world overrun by zombies. The twist is that Ven (the pre-imminent hacker extraordinaire) is the CAUSE of the zombie catastrophe. Line has come up with a unique scenario of how a zombie apocalypse could begin. What if it all started with a computer hack that perpetuated itself through links on Facebook, hashtags on Twitter, and ads on YouTube? Could it be stopped? How could you avoid becoming infected?