Meme: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror. Oh My!

I spotted these interesting meme questions over at Sarah Says Read who found it on SF Signal. I love fun memes like this but I thought how appropriate this one was as I have just signed up for Once Upon a Time VII challenge. I have slightly tweaked this meme to suit me and an UK audience.

Science-Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?

Fantasy! Although I am certainly not adverse to a bit of Science-Fiction and Horror too.

Hardback or Paperback?

On the whole I prefer paperbacks just for the pure easy of carrying them about as they usually smaller and lighter. I do have some hardback copies of cherished favourites that I want to re-read again and again.

Heinlein or Asimov?

I’ve actually read neither, but my father has recommended reading Heinlein.

Amazon or Brick and Mortar?

For physical books I don’t think you can beat a physical brick and mortar shop but now I have a kindle too I use Amazon for that.

Hitchhiker or Discworld?

How can you make me choose?! I love both! Narrowly Discworld is possibly my favourite, I stress narrowly though.

Bookmark or Dog-ear?

Bookmark. Folded pages even just folded corners annoys me yet I am a self-confessed spine-breaker…no one can be perfect I guess.

Magazine: Asimov’s Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction?

Neither. I’ve heard of them but I don’t read any magazines.

Keep, Throw Away or Sell?

I keep the books I think I would like to re-read. The rest I pass on to friends and family, or donate to charity.

Year’s Best Science Fiction series (edited by Gardner Dozois) or Years Best SF series (edited by David G. Hartwell)?

Erm…I don’t know what these are…

Short story or novel?

I’m open to reading both but I prefer novels.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?

This is an easier one as I’ve never read Lemony Snicket so Harry Potter it will have to be.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?

I really try to get to a chapter break but if I fall asleep mid chapter I don’t have much choice in the matter!

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?

“It was a dark and stormy night”

Buy or Borrow?

Buy but sometimes borrow.

Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?

I tend to go mostly by recommendations and browsing.

Lewis or Tolkien?

Again how can you make me choose?! Again I love them both but for different reasons which mean I don’t think I can pick between them.

Hard SF or Space Opera?

Neither. I read a bit of Science-Fiction but not enough to know about these.

Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?

I read both but prefer collections.

Hugo or Nebula?

Neither. Are these awards? I don’t tend to take much notice of awards.

Golden Age SF or New Wave SF?

Neither. Again I don’t know enough about Science-Fiction to know about these.

Tidy ending or Cliff-hanger?

Tidy ending. I can only put up with a cliff-hanger if it’s in the middle of a series and have the next instalment ready to read!

Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?

I’m happy to read most times of the day but I think the best time to read is in the afternoon. There is nothing better than a lazy afternoon spent snuggled up with a book and a cup of tea.

Standalone or Series?

I read a mixture of both.

Urban fantasy or high fantasy?

High fantasy.

New or used?

Both!

Top 5 favourite genre books read last year?

1. (re-read) The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien (Children’s Fantasy)
2. The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett (Fantasy)
3. The Moon Coin by Richard Due (Children’s Fantasy)
4. Sacrifice by Tara Maya (Fantasy)
5. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett (Fantasy)

Top 5 favourite genre books of all time?

1. The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien (Children’s Fantasy)
2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Horror)
3. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C S Lewis (Children’s Fantasy)
4. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham (Science-Fiction)
5. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (Fantasy)

Top 5 favourite genre series?

1. The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien (Fantasy)
2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis (Children’s Fantasy)
3. Discworld by Terry Pratchett (Fantasy)
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Science Fiction)
5. The Dark Tower by Stephen King (Fantasy/Horror)

What about you; Science-Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror?

If you’ve had a go at these meme questions too please let me know and leave a link to your post in the comments below.

The Vampire Underground – Brian Rowe

The Vampire Underground is a 2012 young adult novel by American author Brian Rowe, and is the first instalment in Rowe’s new series Grisly High. I already know Rowe after having read his Happy Birthday to Me trilogy which had an enjoyable blend of normal teen life and the supernatural. I am hoping this new series will be similar. I reached for The Vampire Underground as Autumn arrived some weeks ago now and I was yet to read any horror. Autumn is not the same without a creepy tale and for me there is no better creepy tale than one that involves vampires.

The Vampire Underground is led by film buff teen Brin and her best friend Ash. Brin and Ash for once are eagerly anticipating the start of term at Grisly High because they have both signed up for the new film class. Expectations are high but for Brin they are to be shattered when she finds they are to study her least favourite genre, horror! To make matters worse they are not only going to watch them, they have to make their own horror film. Stuck in a group she neither knows or likes very much Brin finds herself being shipped out with them in a battered old van to the deserted Bodie Ghost Town to film. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse right? For Brin things are going to get a lot worse when they arrive at Bodie…Meanwhile back in Grisly only Ash seems to feel something is wrong and so embarks alone on a rescue mission to find his best friend.

The group that end up heading out to Bodie with Brin are a classic mix of characters. We have Brin herself the alternative girl, Anaya the fat girl, Chace the jock, Lavender the pretty popular girl, Sawyer the geek, and Dylan the handsome homosexual. A bit of a stereotypical start but as the story progresses the reader and the other characters do start to see there is more to each character. Opinions of each other drastically change as they have to band together to survive and people’s true colours are shown. For me some of these true colours didn’t ring true, character continuation wasn’t always smooth. Another important character is Ash, Brin’s best friend since they were small children. Ash is also an alternative lad with a passion for horror films. He is very loyal to Brin and it was a nice change from the group scenes to follow his personal journey to find her. My only quibble with Ash was the ongoing joke about his full name being Ashley. It appears in the US this is mainly a girl’s name, here in the UK however it can be both and in fact all the Ashley’s I know are boys. So I’m afraid  the point was wasted on me.

I loved the setting of Bodie Ghost Town a full-sized frontier town completely preserved and open to tourists in the summer months. Brin and her film class mates led by Anaya decide to sneak in during the winter months but it turns out they’re not the only visitors there. As the title The Vampire Underground suggests vampires are involved. So no big surprise but the transition from regular teen angst plot to horror was well done, and boy when the horror arrived it really did arrive. Not sure what I was expecting but what I got was thrills, spills, and a good dose of gore to boot. The vampires themselves are a mixture of traditional with a few modern elements thrown in. What I liked the most about them was the ‘underground’ element where some of the later action takes place, I won’t say anymore though incase you haven’t read this.

Overall The Vampire Underground wasn’t perfect but it was good. A fun and easy read for while I was ill, and it brought a bit of  horror to my reading which I feel Autumn wouldn’t be complete without. I have the second instalment of the Grisly High series, The Zombie Playground ready to go on my kindle. Rowe still hasn’t managed to surpass the excellence of his first novel Happy Birthday To Me for me yet though.

I received a free digital copy of The Vampire Underground from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

What Other’s Thought: (You?)