Book Review: METALTOWN, by Kristen Simmons

Kristen Simmons
METALTOWN
Tor Books
YA / Dystopian

METALTOWN is one of the best books I have read this year. Reading this novel filled me with an intense mix of emotions. Despair, and dread were like a constant black cloud above me page after page. The slight glimmers of hope were dim, and dreary at best. The three main characters I immediately loved, and cared about. Their plight was real, and hopeless, and they just had to win the fight by the end . . .

But I am getting ahead of myself. There are a handful of union-inspired movies that I will watch any time they are on television. There is the classic, On the Waterfront (Marlon Brando), Sally Field in Norma Rae, and the intense F.I.S.T. with Sylvester Stallone. Great films. Kristen Simmons' METALTOWN is like a combination of the three. Do not get me wrong, METALTOWN is completely original, but there is that . . . flavor to it that was, for me, reminiscent of these epic movies.

Metaltown is a factory town. Small Parts employees nothing but kids and teenagers. Long hours, little pay--if the kids are paid at all--and horrendous working conditions. Safety is not an issue. Churning out product to keep the other factories in town going is all that matters. And the Hamptons own it all. The weapons built supply army of the Northern Federation in their fight against the Advocates (Eastern Federation Radicals). The work performed is important, if the war is ever to be won.

More than best friends, Ty has taken on Colin as his protector. Even though Colin is older, and she is smaller. No one messes with Colin. Safety has been called, and by street rules anyone that starts trouble with Colin, also is starting trouble with Ty. They're a team. They work side-by-side at Small Parts, and barely manage to make ends meet.

With what little pay Colin earns, he contributes to the support of his family. Having a job is everything. Without Small Parts the entire family would be homeless, perhaps dead in months.Ty, an orphan, struggles at just surviving day in and day out. Sleeping mostly at a shelter when beds are available, her safety is in constant jeopardy.

Lena Hampton is wealthy, lives on the opposite side of town, and wants nothing more than to be part of the family business. She knows she can be more resourceful than her often intoxicated and ineffective brother Otto. Her father will never give her the chance, despite her best efforts. Decidedly, she takes a tour of Metaltown, of Small Parts. Inadvertently, she fires one of the shop's employees that sets into motion an industrial revolution that is more bloody, and brutal, and deadly than anyone could have ever anticipated!

Simmons builds a world so vividly that readers will smell the unwashed clothing, and body odor of the factory workers. The frigid cold outside the factory, and the blistering heat within the windowless structure gave me hot and cold flashes. With just a splash of Oliver Twist (should have mentioned it earlier), I was beside the rebels, and a part of their revolt from the onset, and cheering by the end. And crying. It isn't often a book makes me emotional enough to cry. METALTOWN was that kind of story. Simmons has crafted those kinds of characters.

I might have finished reading the book moments ago, but I strongly suspect I will be thinking about them for a long time.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series, and
The Vaccination Trilogy 

Book Review: NIGHTWISE, by R.S. Belcher

R.S. Belcher
NIGHTWISE
Tor Books
Fantasy

What is a Nightwise? Best I can tell, it is an honorable assistant of knight-magicians. They are tasked with protecting the world from evil threats.

And I hate, hate when reviewers compare an author's character to some other author's character. Hate it. Now, with that said, Belcher has created a main character in Laytham Ballard that is similar -- like -- Butcher's Dresden ... but on meth. With sever anger issues. And selfishness. And almost unlikeable.

Ballard's long time . . . I guess you could call him a friend; his one-time partner, Branko Boj, is dying. The man has one last wish. Long ago Boj's wife was kidnapped, tortured for months, until finally he was murdered. All these years Boj has been unable to make pay the man responsible. And although Ballard wants nothing to do with any of it, Boj is responsible for saving his life. Countless times. Reluctantly, the wizard agrees.

As it turns out, Dusan Slorzack is a war criminal. He's wanted by more than just Boj from the acts the horrible man committed. The problem is, Ballard is having trouble finding him. The only thing that give him any direction is the dead banker. The brutal murder scene wasn't so much for punishing the banker as it was to send Ballard a "back off this investigation" message. Despite the message, the warning, Ballard doesn't back off, he now has a solid place to start digging for answers.

Laytham Ballard is a wizard. In the Wisdom, as his grandmother called it, and quite powerful. He is legendary in the magic world. The problem is his personality rots. He is not trustworthy, or friendly. He cares about himself, and little else. He'll do what needs doing to get something done with little regard for anyone else. And that part of his legend is known to all, as well. So when Ballard goes looking for help, few are excited about lending assistance.

With joy missing from an iced over, and blackened heart, Ballard may not know it, but he's the villain desperate to become the hero. NIGHTWISE is filled with constant hints, and nods toward an entire series of Ballard tales (fingers crossed).

NIGHTWISE is dark. Gritty. It has a noir-style, dripping with cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity. R.S. Belcher did some amazing world building between the branches of magic, the layered dimensions, the diversification of beings, and the maps connecting it all. Wow. Thing is, he has the talent as a writer to keep it simple. Followable. There's no getting lost. Belcher guides the reader smoothly from haunting horror, to haunting horror with grace, and a knotted stomach.

Intense and exciting, dark and daunting, NIGHTWISE was a very fantastical mystery!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Severed Empire Series, and
The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: THE GATES OF HELL - Michael Livingston

Michael Livingston
THE GATES OF HELL
TOR / A Tom Doherty Associates Book
Historical Fiction / Fantasy

After reading the first book in this new series, THE SHARDS OF HEAVEN, I couldn't wait for more. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait. And with relish, dug right in!

The dust jacket says: Alexandria has fallen, and with it the great kingdom of Egypt. Cleopatra is dead. Her children are paraded through the streets in chains wrought of their mother's golden treasures, and within a year all but one of them will be dead. Only her young daughter, Cleopatra Selene, survives to continue her quest for vengeance against Rome and its emperor, Augustus Caesar.

To show his strength, Augustus Caesar will go to war against the Cantabrians in northern Spain, and it isn't long before he calls on Juba of Numidia, his adopted half-brother and the man whom Selene has been made to marry -- but whom she has grown to love. The young couple journey to the Cantabrian frontier, where they learn that Caesar wants Juba so he can use the Trident of Poseidon to destroy his enemies. Perfidy and treachery abound. Juba's love of Selene will cost him dearly in the epic fight, and the choices made may change the very fabric of the known world.

THE GATES OF HELL takes place two and a half years after THE SHARDS OF HEAVEN. Characters are reintroduced nicely. Juba --Octavian's step brother, who was once meant to rule Numidia before Rome seized it, is married to the young Cleopatra Selene. With Cleopatra and Antony dead, Selene was destined to rule as queen of Egypt, but again, Rome interfered with her fate, as well.

There are at least four collected Shards. Pieces of Heaven that splintered when God died. Each holds its own mystical power. Only the select few can even touch, much less, wield the power contained in the black crystals. Juba and Selene are headstrong about seeking revenge against Octavian (who know calls himself Augustus). They are intent on destroying Rome. And with the Shards, they know they have the power to accomplish anything.

The Ark of the Covenant is safe (for the time being). Caesarion (son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra) and his wife Hannah have the Biblical relic hidden. Vorenus and Pullo know that the Ark needs to be moved to a better location. Transporting the powerful ark will not be simple, if anything doing so could prove very dangerous.

Augustus wants to move against the Cantabrian, to bring even more to Rome! The barbarians have more than arrows and steal on their side. They too possess one of the Shards. The battle, with Juba at the frontline, is nothing shy of destructive.

Tiberius, the stepson of Augustus, knows that Selene stole from Rome. He is determined to figure out what she took. He will stop at nothing until he has all he wants. And what he wants is to rule in Augustus' place!

Can one man bring peace to the world What if that one man is wanted dead by so many because of his aspirations? Or will the revelation of an evil truth ignite a new war where wielding the Shards brings death, destruction, and literally opens the gates of hell? THE GATES OF HELL was impossible to put down. Livingston uses a host of complex characters, each some kind of bizarre mix on family trees, and somehow manages to make the reading simple, and concise. The tale his told at a heart-pounding pace. The action is constant, and the suspense always building. Always. I love the characters, and the dialogue, both informative, and witty! Folks, do yourself a favor. Add Michael Livingston to your to-be-read list of authors. He's going to be around for a while. Jump on his bandwagon now, ahead of the game!

Phillip Tomasso

Author of the Severed Empire Series, and

The Vaccination Trilogy