The Rising - Heather Graham and Jon Land

Heather Graham and Jon Land have joined forces (and pens), creating a new series. The first book is the newly released The Rising.

My library has The Rising shelved with adult fiction, but the target audience seems to be teens, given the lead characters. Those characters are Alex and Samantha. Alex is a star football player and Samantha is his tutor. When Alex suffers a head injury in a game, a CAT scan reveals something unbelievable in his head. Then his parents are killed - and some otherworldly entity seems bent on killing him as well. Sam and Alex end up on the run, desperately trying to find out what's going on. And it's pretty huge. Save the world kinda huge.

Alex and Sam are both likable leads. They're opposites and although opposites attract, I'm not sure about the romance between the two. I think the story would have been good without the romantic thread this time out. It seemed forced and having it occur more organically in future entries would be more believable. However their strengths do play off each other well.

Land and Graham  have come up with an interesting concept, but I found the amount of detail used to describe some of their theories and science to be somewhat overwhelming (and okay - boring). To the point where I started skimming. I think the depth of detail would be daunting for teen readers who may be looking for the same thing I was - action and a plot that moved along a little quicker. I get that this is the foundation book, but I did find it too dense and drawn out. I think it could have been tightened up. I found the 'bad guys' to be somewhat one-dimensional and clichéd. Co-authoring a book must be a challenge.

This adult reader found The Rising to be just an okay read. I would be curious to see what teen readers thought. Read an excerpt of The Rising.

Dark Matter - Blake Crouch

Praise from some of my favourite authors (Lee Child, Harlan Coben and Justin Cronin) had me eager to dive into Blake Crouch's new novel, Dark Matter.

And if that wasn't enough, this description from the publisher, sealed the deal.

" “Are you happy with your life?” Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”"

I love this type of storyline - an everyday person thrown into an extraordinary situation - with no idea who, what, where and why. I can't wait to dig in find the answers alongside the main character. Crouch's writing easily draws the reader in - and then keeps them captivated until the last page is turned.

The publisher has suspense/thriller and science fiction as genres for Dark Matter. But, if you're thinking, oh I don't like sci-fi, think again. It doesn't define the book completely. Yes, there are some mind bending theories to wrap your head around, but there's action, suspense, twists and yes - a love story. I know eh? Heck of a mix. But Crouch makes it really, really work.

I want to be somewhat vague in describing the plot - I'll just say this - multiverse vs. universe. Uh, huh, the possibilities are endless.....and had me wondering what if?

I raced through Dark Matter, totally caught up in Jason Dessen's world and desperate race to find answers and resolution. Five stars for this one!  Read an excerpt of Dark Matter.

Crouch has also penned the Wayward Pines books, made into a Fox television series, that I really enjoyed as well. (Can't wait for season two.) Dark Matter would also make a great series or feature film. You can connect with Blake Crouch his website, and follow him on Twitter.

Saturn Run - John Sandford and Ctein

I am a big fan of John Sandford's 'Prey' series featuring Lucas Davenport as well as the Virgil Flowers novels.

Saturn Run is a bit of a departure for Sandford - it travels to sci-fi territory - not a usual genre for me. But I definitely wanted to give it a try.

It's the year 2066. Sandy, a low level intern watching the screens notices something approaching from the direction of Saturn - and it seems to be a ship. A spaceship with far greater technology than the US and China have.  And each country wants it.....the race is on  - who can get a ship to Saturn first?

John Sandford's style and voice is easy to hear in Saturn Run. Sandy is an incarnate of Virgil Flowers - I quite enjoyed his attitude and style. There's a myriad of other characters, each with detailed backstories. Saturn Run is most definitely a group effort.

I chose to listen to Saturn Run. The reader is Eric Conger - one of my favourites. (He's also the reader for the Virgil Flowers audio books) As always, he's got great inflection, expression and timing. And his voice is just plain great to listen to.

But. And yes there's a but. I got so bogged down in the details of the ship and what was needed to make it run, long-winded explanations of picture taking, nuke reactors and more. Enough that I finally pulled the plug and quit. I feel bad doing that to an author I follow faithfully (and it's rare for me), but I was zoning out, hoping the details would pass quicker so we could get back to the characters and the race to Saturn. I'm in the minority on this one I think. Listen to an excerpt of Saturn Run or read an excerpt of Saturn Run.

Instead, I'll be waiting for the 26th Lucas Davenport book, Extreme Prey, releasing in April 2016.

And who is the co-author, Ctein? According to the publisher, he's an 'internationally known photo-artist and science fiction aficionado.'