Wow! Can you believe that I’ve been at this for one hundred entries?! It’s been a wild ride so
far, and I’m sure that there are many more wild and interesting adventures to come! Being as
it’s our 100th entry, I had hoped to do something extra special for all of you special supporters
out there who continually bring a smile to my face by slogging through my pedantic rhetoric.
And indeed, I have some stuff in the works that I think will be pretty exciting, but that also takes
some time to get rolling. Here’s a hint:
far, and I’m sure that there are many more wild and interesting adventures to come! Being as
it’s our 100th entry, I had hoped to do something extra special for all of you special supporters
out there who continually bring a smile to my face by slogging through my pedantic rhetoric.
And indeed, I have some stuff in the works that I think will be pretty exciting, but that also takes
some time to get rolling. Here’s a hint:
I can’t make any predictions as to when this might happen, but it had always been my intention
to eventually and gradually shift from mere written word to the technicolor wonder of video.
However, there’s a lot to be learned, and equipment that needs to be obtained, and an endeavor
of this scale requires more time than I have at this juncture so for now we’ll stick with my dry wit,
and singular charm in written form. Just know that by the end of the year, I intend to do at least
one companion video to at least one of my blog reviews.
to eventually and gradually shift from mere written word to the technicolor wonder of video.
However, there’s a lot to be learned, and equipment that needs to be obtained, and an endeavor
of this scale requires more time than I have at this juncture so for now we’ll stick with my dry wit,
and singular charm in written form. Just know that by the end of the year, I intend to do at least
one companion video to at least one of my blog reviews.
Okay, big news out of the way, I still managed to wrangle up something extra special for you guys
for our extra special milestone this week. I’ve had a month off of school, and I also managed to
set a record for number of books read in the shortest period of recent history for me personally.
If we count Jurassic Park, which we definitely do, then I’ve finished three whole novels in the last
four months. Believe me, that’s a record for me in recent years. However, I just got a good run
of books that hit some sweet spots, and kept we wanting for more. One of these novels, Night
of the Living Trekkies, I got as a holiday gift from some beloved friends. The timing seemed
somewhat convenient as I had just finished the previous novel that I had been working on. I
was concerned though that with as slowly as I read, I might not be able to find adequate time
to jump in and enjoy this new acquisition. But, left with only a couple of options that really
intrigued me, I decided that I’d see if I could finish the book in the 10 days that I had left of my
break. I finished it in two. I rarely ever get that engrossed in a novel! So when I say that it was a
great read, you can bet the farm that it was truly a great read! Without further delay, let’s see
what all the hubbub is about.
for our extra special milestone this week. I’ve had a month off of school, and I also managed to
set a record for number of books read in the shortest period of recent history for me personally.
If we count Jurassic Park, which we definitely do, then I’ve finished three whole novels in the last
four months. Believe me, that’s a record for me in recent years. However, I just got a good run
of books that hit some sweet spots, and kept we wanting for more. One of these novels, Night
of the Living Trekkies, I got as a holiday gift from some beloved friends. The timing seemed
somewhat convenient as I had just finished the previous novel that I had been working on. I
was concerned though that with as slowly as I read, I might not be able to find adequate time
to jump in and enjoy this new acquisition. But, left with only a couple of options that really
intrigued me, I decided that I’d see if I could finish the book in the 10 days that I had left of my
break. I finished it in two. I rarely ever get that engrossed in a novel! So when I say that it was a
great read, you can bet the farm that it was truly a great read! Without further delay, let’s see
what all the hubbub is about.
Let me just preface by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of the zombie horror genre. I can see
the allure, but it usually just does nothing for me. That said, this book is a zombie horror book
that just happened to appeal to me in all the right ways. The basic premise of the book is that
a young man named Jim, who served two tours in Afghanistan, has taken a gig working as a
bellhop at a hotel in Houston, Texas. The hotel, aptly named the Botany Bay, is hosting a Star
Trek convention the weekend that the book is supposed to take place, and the entire staff is
running around all crazy like trying to make sure that all of their guests have an enjoyable
weekend. This is really the crux of why I enjoyed this novel so much. It’s not that the novel
tried to innovate in any real way. It just did what a novel of its genre is supposed to do really
well. It also doesn’t hurt that all of the chapter titles are titles of Star Trek episodes from
various series. In the prologue, we get a taste of what’s to come when a secret installation
near Houston has a malfunction that unleashed several biological hazards.
the allure, but it usually just does nothing for me. That said, this book is a zombie horror book
that just happened to appeal to me in all the right ways. The basic premise of the book is that
a young man named Jim, who served two tours in Afghanistan, has taken a gig working as a
bellhop at a hotel in Houston, Texas. The hotel, aptly named the Botany Bay, is hosting a Star
Trek convention the weekend that the book is supposed to take place, and the entire staff is
running around all crazy like trying to make sure that all of their guests have an enjoyable
weekend. This is really the crux of why I enjoyed this novel so much. It’s not that the novel
tried to innovate in any real way. It just did what a novel of its genre is supposed to do really
well. It also doesn’t hurt that all of the chapter titles are titles of Star Trek episodes from
various series. In the prologue, we get a taste of what’s to come when a secret installation
near Houston has a malfunction that unleashed several biological hazards.
Jim is kind of a slacker who avoids responsibility due to some traumatizing experiences that he
had while on tour. However, as a result of his experiences, he’s developed a talent for perceiving
dangerous situations. Another aspect of this book that I enjoy is that it unfolds pretty slowly. It
all starts small. For example, one of Jim’s coworkers that Jim has a crush on got bitten by a
child, and the security guard on duty at the hotel got attacked by a mime. Amongst the guest,
several guests start to get inexplicably sick. Little things like the homeless people who normally
loiter near the delivery area have disappeared. To complicate matters a bit, Jim’s sister Rayna
and her friends are going to be attending the convention. It’s maybe a little bit cliched, but in
this case, it works well. Yet another thing that I noticed about this novel is that the characters
get just the right amount of attention based on how integral they are to the story. Jim obviously
gets quite a bit of time invested in development. HIs sidekick, Leia, who earns money making
appearances as a model at nerd conventions, also gets some good development. Rayna, Jim’s
sister, gets a bit less development, but benefits from sharing in a lot of the character
development tools that coincide with Jim’s. The rest of the cast is rounded out with Rayna’s
friends, Matt, Gary, and T’Poc, a Trekkie who’s the last surviving member of at cult of
Redshirts named Willy, a Klingon weapons dealer named Martok, and a scientist named
Dr. Sandoval. As I said, the less part they play in the plot, the less attention is paid to
developing the character, but this really doesn’t detract from connecting to each of these
characters as they’re all pretty lovable.
had while on tour. However, as a result of his experiences, he’s developed a talent for perceiving
dangerous situations. Another aspect of this book that I enjoy is that it unfolds pretty slowly. It
all starts small. For example, one of Jim’s coworkers that Jim has a crush on got bitten by a
child, and the security guard on duty at the hotel got attacked by a mime. Amongst the guest,
several guests start to get inexplicably sick. Little things like the homeless people who normally
loiter near the delivery area have disappeared. To complicate matters a bit, Jim’s sister Rayna
and her friends are going to be attending the convention. It’s maybe a little bit cliched, but in
this case, it works well. Yet another thing that I noticed about this novel is that the characters
get just the right amount of attention based on how integral they are to the story. Jim obviously
gets quite a bit of time invested in development. HIs sidekick, Leia, who earns money making
appearances as a model at nerd conventions, also gets some good development. Rayna, Jim’s
sister, gets a bit less development, but benefits from sharing in a lot of the character
development tools that coincide with Jim’s. The rest of the cast is rounded out with Rayna’s
friends, Matt, Gary, and T’Poc, a Trekkie who’s the last surviving member of at cult of
Redshirts named Willy, a Klingon weapons dealer named Martok, and a scientist named
Dr. Sandoval. As I said, the less part they play in the plot, the less attention is paid to
developing the character, but this really doesn’t detract from connecting to each of these
characters as they’re all pretty lovable.
Once, the crap really hits the fan, the book becomes pretty hard to put down. I started just
yesterday on about page 40, and I read all the way to the end because it was just so hard
to not read. I just wanted to know what was going to happen next! The story is pretty typical
of the genre. Jim first saves Leia, who ends up being an equal in the ability to destroy zombies,
and also ends up becoming a love interest. Then he needs to save his sister and her friends.
There are some minor twists in how this aspect unfolds that I really enjoyed. Every story needs
an adversary, and Matt ends up becoming that for this novel, but that’s okay because he’s a
jerk anyway. The twists were inspired by Star Trek, which makes them appropriate to the context,
and therefore, just that much more enjoyable to read. The antics are zany, but not too zany.
Everything about the novel walks a fine line between flat out comedy, and serious horror and
it does so exceptionally well. I laughed, and I gasped, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second
of the read.
yesterday on about page 40, and I read all the way to the end because it was just so hard
to not read. I just wanted to know what was going to happen next! The story is pretty typical
of the genre. Jim first saves Leia, who ends up being an equal in the ability to destroy zombies,
and also ends up becoming a love interest. Then he needs to save his sister and her friends.
There are some minor twists in how this aspect unfolds that I really enjoyed. Every story needs
an adversary, and Matt ends up becoming that for this novel, but that’s okay because he’s a
jerk anyway. The twists were inspired by Star Trek, which makes them appropriate to the context,
and therefore, just that much more enjoyable to read. The antics are zany, but not too zany.
Everything about the novel walks a fine line between flat out comedy, and serious horror and
it does so exceptionally well. I laughed, and I gasped, and I thoroughly enjoyed every second
of the read.
There are a lot of twists by the end of the novel, and unlike other books that I’ve read, there really is no cooling off period after the climax. It does tie up nicely, it just does so pretty abruptly. I kind of enjoyed this aspect as it meant that the book was a nail biter until the very end, and it left me wanting more after I was done. I can confidently say that I would recommend this book to anyone. It’s tons of fun to read! It reads surprisingly fast, and as a full-time college student, I can really appreciate that. It does great service in paying homage to both Star Trek and the zombie horror genre. The setting, focused though it may have been, is well developed, and it really sucks you in as you read. I really have to say that this is probably one of the better novels that I’ve read recently, and I recommend that you check it out! In the meantime, welcome to 2018! I’m looking forward to more exciting things as we examine media old and new this year, and I hope that you’ll continue that examination with me! Tune in next week to see what I’ve got cooked up!
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